Soldier of Mirkwood: Rising Shadow
by WriterandDaydreamer4218
Summary: After centuries of intense training, Tauriel has just been inducted into the Woodland guard. She is determined to prove herself. Mirkwood is not as safe as it once was; a darkness emanating from a nearby fortress threatens to wipe out everything she holds dear. Tauriel has to alliance with her long-time friend, Legolas, to protect the place they and many other elves call home.
1. Chapter 1

**Welcome to my new story! I decided to delete ****Those We Leave Behind ****because I was having a hard time writing it and I just had new ideas for other stories-which led to this. I plan for this to be a trilogy, centering around the Mirkwood elves (primarily Tauriel) about three centuries before the events of the Hobbit as the forest of Greenwood falls into darkness due to the evil leaking out from Dol Guldur. **

**That's about everything; enjoy the story!**

Prologue

1000 years earlier

_When in doubt, stick to the facts. Stick to what you know to be true. Believe in these things, no matter what happens next. _

_I am Tauriel, daughter of Faedolian. I am a daughter of Mirkwood. _

_I am alone. _

_My parents were killed in an orc raid four days ago and my home was destroyed. I have nowhere to go. I have been running ever since. _

The young elfling pressed closer to the safety the pine tree's branches provided her. Branches cracked and strained overhead as the spider worked its way through the tree, scattering leaves and needles all around her. She held her breath as it paused right over her hiding place. It would see her. And if it saw her, she was as good as dead.

She rummaged in the small leather sack near her feet. She could still remember her mother pressing it into her hands, her face streaked with ash. _"Run, my daughter. Run swift and strong. Do not stop for anything. You must keep going. You must escape." _She should have protested harder, but everything in that moment was confusion and darkness and pain. The orcs had come. She could hear their war cries in the forest nearby. In seconds, they would be on her small house. She had always been brought up to be obedient and to do as she was told, so she had left without a word.

She had never imagined, even in her wildest nightmares, that her parents wouldn't be right behind her.

Her hands brushed a couple loaves of stale bread, a skin of fresh water, her notebook-a present for her seven hundredth birthday only a few months ago-and…a fishing knife. She drew it from the sack and ran her hand over the hand-carved metal blade. It wasn't much, but it could do more damage than a simple book. She crouched in readiness, waiting for the spider to make the next move.

The spider looked around stupidly, its large eyes swinging demurely from side to side. The elleth held her breath as its gaze passed over her. It hadn't seen her. She was safe.

Carefully, she began to inch away over the soft green needles, wincing every time she accidentally stepped on a twig. The small sounds seemed like thunder in the near-silent forest-but she wasn't followed. Finally, she realized that she'd left the spider's tree far in the distance. She stood to run. She could hear water flowing somewhere nearby. She wondered if she would be able to cross it. The closer you got to the King's halls, the less likely you were to encounter spiders and other unsavory characters, as these were the areas that received the most protection by the Woodland Guard.

Just then, a spider dropped down out of nowhere and landed directly in front of her, blocking her only escape route. It looked like something out of her worst nightmares-its large fangs were dripping with slime and its cold, dead eyes seemed to gleam with malice. She tried to remember what her father had told her about spiders-_they have many weak spots-if you survive long enough to reach one of them. _She brandished her knife. "Come and get me." she said defiantly, trying to slow the racing in her heart. She wasn't going down without a fight.

She lashed out and struck the spider hard on its left leg. Almost as quickly, she drew back and did the same thing again on the other side, trying to confuse it. However, the spider was much bigger than she was. Almost casually, it flicked her aside, leaving a nasty gash on her right arm. She landed on the ground hard, all the wind knocked out of her. The knife skittered into the foliage and out of sight. She was alone as the spider bore down on her, its eyes glinting with the prospect of its next meal. She wanted to close her eyes, but she kept them open. Surely her parents had greeted death full-on when it came for them. She had to honor their memory.

This was why she saw the figures dressed in yellows and blacks that seemed to drop out of nowhere like rain on an otherwise cloudless day. They worked swiftly and efficiently, killing the spider with a dagger to the neck. The spider died choking on its own saliva.

The elleth turned to her rescuers. They were wood-elves, as she was. One of them looked to be much older than her. He had long hair that blended in with the trees around him, as did his armor and tunic. In fact, except for his vivid green eyes, he seemed a part of the forest himself. The other elf appeared to be closer to her age, not more than a millennia old. His hair was a stark contrast to the older elf-it was yellow, and it almost seemed to glow in the dim light. "Are you hurt?" he asked her softly.

She massaged her injured arm, which she'd forgotten about in the excitement. "When it flicked me off…"

The dark haired elf examined the wound carefully. "You are lucky it is not deep. Spider poison can be deadly. As it is, you will experience discomfort for some days afterward, but you will suffer no permanent disabilities. Where are your parents?"

"They died, four days ago."

His eyes seemed to soften. "I am sorry. Have you any other relatives?"

She shook her head slowly.

The younger elf spoke now, eyeing her carefully. "I am Prince Legolas of the Woodland Realm, and this is Jarek. Come back to my home. Healers will tend your wound and find somewhere for you to stay."

She didn't respond. She couldn't.

"The forest is no place for you to be wondering alone and unsupervised. Please. We must treat the spider poison." He gently took her arm in his. The wound was already beginning to pulse, like a bruise.

"Are you really a prince?" she asked. She'd heard about the king of the realm and his son, of course, but she didn't understand why he would be here, of all places.

"Yes, I am. I am not supposed to be here, but the palace was especially boring today." he said, almost as if he could read her thoughts. He rolled his eyes jokingly and she had to bite back a smile. "Will you come with us?"

She hesitated. She didn't want to go someplace with elves she didn't know, but she couldn't possibly stay where she was. She didn't know the first thing about fighting spiders. Besides, maybe her parents had escaped the carnage somehow. Maybe the bodies she'd seen in the wreckage weren't actually theirs. Maybe they were looking for her. There'd be a better chance for them to find her at the palace. "Yes." She took his outstretched hand. His grip was tender but firm as he led her into the trees. Jarek stayed close behind them and acted as rearguard.

"What is your name?"

She swallowed hard. _Just the facts. _"Tauriel. My name is Tauriel. I am seven hundred and fifty six years old."

She didn't let go of Legolas's hand even as they entered the great front hall of the palace. Everything was new and different here-from the amber lamps hanging in sconces on the walls to the many elves wandering the halls and looking at her strangely. They all bowed to Legolas though.

After almost a half hour of wandering through endless corridors and crossing over endless bridges, they left the palace entirely and went through a small underground tunnel to another building. This building seemed to be more of a complex than a simple structure-dozens of tiny staircases and bridges wound upward around the trunks of three massive trees that grew into the forest canopy far above. However, the most striking thing for Tauriel was that the people inhabiting this place were all children-some of them even younger than her. The air was filled with their chatter as they went from one place to another. A few of them stopped to look at the new arrivals curiously, but most didn't give them a second thought.

"Welcome to the forest's training center for Guard members. It also doubles as a home for orphaned initiates." Jarek explained.

Tauriel found it hard to take it all in at once. This was where elves just like her, who had lost everything dear to them, could start over and train to become a part of the Guard. The Woodland Guard was renowned all over Middle Earth. No better or more disciplined fighting force could be found anywhere on the continent, from Esgaroth in the east to the Grey Havens in the west. "So this is where training starts?" she asked.

"Yes. Most elves start when they turn a millennia old, and they progress through the levels until they are inducted into the Guard or come of age-whichever happens to come first." Jarek gave her a small smile. "You will like it here, Tauriel. I grew up here myself."

Legolas practically dragged her over to a small room on the ground level, where an older elf was sitting behind a large desk, scribbling fiercely on a piece of paper. "I have a new initiate for you."

The elf ignored them. "All complaints go in the basket." she muttered, pointing to a small wicker basket nearby.

"No, it's not that. This is Tauriel."

She looked up, irritated. "What do you-" She broke off midsentence when she saw Legolas. "My prince. Please accept my most humble apologies. If I had known-"

Legolas's eyes narrowed slightly and Tauriel could tell he was more irritated than he was letting on. "This is Tauriel. She was found orphaned in the forest. She must go to the infirmary first, as she was stung by a spider about an hour ago. After that, she will need a bed, a hot meal, and new clothing. My father will want to see her sometime over the next couple of days, and she is to start training as soon as she is able." He spoke with a fluency that suggested he had made this monologue many times before.

"Yes, my prince. Right away." The elf smiled in an almost sickening way and stood up, shuffling through a few sheets of papers. "This way, Maeria."

"It's Tauriel-" Tauriel tried to correct her, but the elf seemed not to notice. She had already taken off across the crowded commons area.

"I will come back as soon as I can to see how you are settling in." Legolas spoke quickly for Tauriel's benefit, knowing her guide would not wait for long.

She nodded. "Thank you for saving me."

He shrugged. "I…understand how it feels, to lose a parent." He didn't elaborate. "Someday, you'll learn how to kill spiders singlehandedly. Then you won't need saving."

Tauriel smiled. She liked this new elf. In any case, he was nothing like she'd imagined a prince would be.

Just then, the elf who had led her away realized that Tauriel wasn't following and yelled at her to hurry up. "I have to go."

"Namarie."

"See you soon." Tauriel sprinted off across the smooth rock, cradling her arm. It was beginning to hurt. When she reached the base of one of trees and turned to go inside, she glanced back once to see if Jarek and Legolas had left. Jarek was gone, probably to report back to the king, but Legolas was still there. She waved to him once and went into the tree.

Tauriel's second meeting with Legolas happened the very next day, when she awoke to a stabbing pain in her arm that made her cry out. She tried to examine her wound, but she couldn't-it was wrapped in layers of fresh gauze that would stop the poison.

Next, she looked at her surroundings. She was in a small room that seemed to be made up of shades of white-the walls were white, the floor was white, and even the comfortable bed sheets she was lying on were made of white fabric. She could see the bag containing her few belongings across the room, stained by and covered with spider slime.

Just then, the infirmary door opened and Legolas came in. "How does your arm feel?" he asked.

"Sore."

"Good. That means the poison is gone." He said this knowledgeably, as if it happened all the time. Maybe it did, at least in this area.

"What happens?" she asked. She could barely remember the night before-the grouchy elf had dropped her off in the infirmary and two healers had set to work on her right away. They'd taken her into this very room and given her a strong tea that had put her right to sleep.

"The healers used herbs to drain the poison from your blood."

"I guess I understood that. I mean, what happens now?"

"You have to rest and make sure your arm heals properly."

She rolled her eyes. "I know! I'm talking about after that. Am I going to live at the Guard school?"

"If you want to. I've never heard of someone who wants to join the Guard just after they arrive, though. A lot of elves like you tend to go into research and study."

"But you don't get to kill orcs in research and study, do you?"

"Well, no. Not really." He looked at her curiously.

"I have to avenge my parents." she said simply.

"Oh. Were they killed by orcs?"

"Yes. There was a raid…no one saw it coming…" _Don't think about it…Suppress the memories…_

"You're lucky to be alive."

She toyed with the frayed ends of a blanket_, _rubbing them back and forth between her fingers. "I guess. I wish I were still with Adar and Naneth, though."

"Things would be a lot simpler. But you wouldn't have this chance to avenge their deaths. My father told me once that when life gives you a second chance, you should try to live it to the fullest. Sometimes that means going through tribulations."

She met his eyes for the first time. They were very blue, bluer than she'd known eyes could be.

"I understand that. I too have someone I must avenge." He held out a hand for her to shake. "If you want to, I'll help you train." he continued.

She shook his hand with her good one. "We can kill orcs together. Friends?"

"Friends."

Legolas left soon after, as the herbs that had been in Tauriel's tea were still working strongly and she was extremely drowsy. Tauriel used her good hand to pull up the duvet so it covered her wound. She was sad, of course. She still couldn't believe that only a week earlier she'd been woken up by her mother's familiar touch. She couldn't believe that she'd never feel that touch again. She was also excited though, once she got past the sadness. If she worked hard, she could be part of the Guard-and she'd just made friends with a prince!

Tauriel shook her head and tried to clear it. _I will make them proud. I will work hard like Adar did and I will be a kind person like Naneth was. I will protect those who need protecting and I will become a member of the Guard. _

_I will never forgive and I will never forget. My parents will be avenged._

She knew from that moment forward that nothing in her life would be the same. She was ready for any challenges that she might face.

She would rise above them. She was sure of it.

_Translations:_

_Elleth-female elf_

_Adar-father_

_Naneth-mother_

_Namarie-farewell_

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	2. Celebrations

**Thank you to WoodElfJedi for reviewing!**

**On to chapter two! **

_"And finally, rounding out our class of new initiates…Niera and Tauriel!"_

The words still echoed in Tauriel's head pleasantly, even though the ceremony had concluded almost two hours ago. She still couldn't believe it, really. Not only had she passed the test that enabled her to become a member of the Woodland Guard, but she'd graduated with the top honors in her class of ten other initiates. Almost ten centuries of practice, sweat, and even a few tears, had finally paid off.

Now, it was time to celebrate.

One of her friends, Riendel, tapped his fork against his water glass. "Attention, attention everyone! May I have everyone's attention?"

The chatter taking place around the large table gradually tapered off as all the guests turned to hear what the usually eloquent elf had to say.

"I propose a toast," he started, "to Tauriel, for defying expectations, becoming part of the Guard, and-most importantly of all-giving us a reason to celebrate!" The other elves Tauriel had invited to her celebration party toasted appreciatively. Tauriel couldn't suppress a small smile as she nodded to each of them in turn.

Closest to her was her best friend and closest confidante in all things, Raena. Raena had been one of her first roommates when she was rescued from the spider a thousand years previously. Having been orphaned when she was so young she could barely remember her parents, Raena had grown up in the Guard program. No elf their age knew more about it than she did and she had taken it upon herself to show Tauriel the ropes those first few harrowing months. They'd been roommates on and off for years, until Raena had passed her own induction ceremony the previous year, as she was a year and a half Tauriel's elder. Tauriel had always looked up to her as an older sister, and she was looking forward to having more time to spend with her now that she had finished her formal schooling.

Next to Raena was one of their previous roommates Leirial. Leirial had her own horror story to tell, as she'd had her tongue ripped out by a tribe of orcs. Other than that, no one really knew anything about her past. She had just appeared one day and never spoke of her previous life. Tauriel spent more time with her than anyone else did and she was also most fluent in the sign language Leirial had invented in order to communicate. Even Raena took more time to spell out what she wanted to say, whereas signing had become as natural as breathing to Tauriel.

After Leirial came a few other past roommates: Lyeina, Nenila, and twins Rowan and Raven. Seated next to them were her two cousins Niena and Nienal. She saw them every other weekend, for three weeks in the summer, and most major holidays.

Next to them sat Riendel, her sometimes-kind of-boyfriend. They had never done anything intimate beyond the usual goodbye kisses, but they often went out for dinner or to see a play on the weekends. Tauriel had to smile as she remembered the first time she'd been paired with Riendel in a familial life class-they'd argued about every little thing. True, they still did that now, but at least they knew they could get along together well enough.

And finally there was Legolas, seated at the head of the table and surveying the party guests as a king surveys his realm. He was Tauriel's other best friend, as they'd known each other for a full millennium-longer than she'd known any of the others there. They tried to spend every other weekend hiking because their schedules were so busy, and they didn't get to see each other as often as Tauriel would have liked. Legolas had been the one constant in her life; she knew she could always count on him being there for her, no matter what happened. He'd given her extra Guard lessons when she needed them and had been with her when she killed her first spider. He had never once forgotten her name day. Now that she'd passed her Guard test, he would be not just her friend but her high captain and would oversee most of her training exercises and patrols. In short, she would get to see him often-which she was very excited about.

A tap on her water glass jolted her out of her reverie. Riendel was looking at her from across the table, head cocked in both a curious and cute manner. "What are you thinking about so deeply?"

"Nothing, really."

"This is your party. You shouldn't be thinking deeply at all."

She smirked. "This coming from someone who has never had a deep thought in his life." Riendel pretended to be offended and she laughed happily. It still hadn't sunk in yet: she was a member of the Guard as she'd always wanted to be. Tomorrow, she would go on her first patrol.

"I'll have you know that I have plenty of deep thoughts!" Riendel cried. "Why, just yesterday I was thinking that-"

Raena nudged her shoulder, giving her an excuse to not listen to his mindless chatter. "Congratulations! I'm so proud of you!" she whispered.

"Thank you. I can't wait to go on patrol tomorrow."

"I know. There haven't been any spider sightings all week. Maybe they've given up."

Tauriel didn't believe that, even for a second. Sure, there hadn't been many orc or spider sightings lately, but that was anything but reassuring. The more likely cause of their disappearance was that they were preparing an even more crippling attack on the wood elves.

Just then, Legolas stood up and motioned for Tauriel to follow him outside. "We will only be a minute." Tauriel followed him, somewhat confused. Leirial stopped her before she got too far away from the table and signed something quickly. Tauriel was easily able to translate it as _I'll save you a piece of cake._

_Thank you, _she signed back. Although Leirial still possessed top notch hearing, they tended to sign to each other if they wanted to have a private conversation. Tauriel knew that she could always use the practice. She followed Legolas out of the dining room and onto a small balcony overlooking a rocky bluff. The training center was visible through the trees and she could see small fires coming from other balconies as her fellow initiates held their own celebrations. "What is it?" she asked.

"Brignir asked for my final say on where you should be placed in the Guard." Brignir was the Captain of the Guard, which meant he would be assigning the new recruits to their posts. Tauriel had tried to be extra nice to him during the past few weeks, as she didn't relish being assigned to clean the Guard barracks. It wasn't exactly a memorable first job.

"And what did you tell him?" They both knew that Tauriel's dream had always been to be a patrol officer.

He looked away. "I told him I would think about it."

"What is there to think about?"

Legolas suddenly seemed to be very interested in examining the polished wooden railing under his fingertips. "I would prefer it if you were to accept a desk job."

"Why? Legolas, we both know that I specialize in hand-to-hand combat." Tauriel despised paperwork. She despised the idea of spending hours in a small office addressing mountain after mountain of paperwork even more.

"You are quite good at it, yes. But the forest is not as safe as it once was. Patrols are sometimes attacked. Maybe just for a year or two, until you're a little bit older-"

"Brignir said that I'd do very well on patrol, even at my current age."

"I just would like to know that you'll be safe."

Tauriel rolled her eyes. She was sick of the constant drills about safety and how important it was. She could easily fight off any creature of the forest. She'd had to do so on many occasions-and Legolas had been with her for most of them. "I can take care of myself, Legolas."

"I understand that."

"Let me go on patrol."

"You have never gone on one before. What if yours is ambushed? What if there are more spiders than your battalion can comfortably fight off? Will you know how to respond? If your comrades die, will you know how to dispose of the bodies and release their spirits properly?"

Tauriel was beginning to feel annoyed. "I've survived in the forest before. I have explored its paths. I know all of its secrets."

Legolas smiled wryly at her, making her even more annoyed than she had been before. "Never presume you know all there is to know about this forest. Besides, what about that time with the spider?"

"I was seven centuries old. I had never even held a knife before. I'm more experienced now. I don't need to be rescued." She tried to keep a calm head, knowing the prince was just trying to infuriate her. "Please don't assign me to a desk job. That would be a unique and cruel form of torture."

She waited in silence for a tense two minutes until Legolas slowly nodded. "Do you promise to stay with your patrol? No wondering off to investigate strange sounds."

"That only happened once."

"And then you ran into a pack of slavers. Do I have your word?"

She sighed. "Fine. Yes, you have my word. So, will you put in a good word to Brignir?"

"I'll see what can be done." They stood in silence for a while, watching the small campfires wink out one by one as the night grew later. "You have a busy day tomorrow. Sensible elves would have ended the party long ago."

"Maybe so, but I have always been different."

He smirked. "Your logic is impeccable. Come-your other guests will begin to wonder if we have been attacked by orcs."

His tone was light but Tauriel could sense the underlying distrust in it as Legolas looked out at the dark forest. In this weather, it was easy to think that a darkness had spread across the land and that the trees, water, even the air itself, were becoming infected. It was easy to believe that the forest deserved its new name: Mirkwood. "Do not fear. There is still light here, for those who wish to find it."

"For now, yes, but for how much longer?"

She didn't have a good answer to that.

Hours later, the partygoers dispersed, each headed for their own destinations: Legolas for the palace; Riendel, Leirial, Rowan, and Raven for the training center; Ilane, Niena, and Nienal for their own home; Lyeina for her room in the House of Scribes; and Nenila for the raft elves' huts. Tauriel walked with Raena as far as the corridor that separated most of the Guard rooms, where she bid her farewell and promised to practice with her in the morning. Then she locked herself in her own bedroom as she still had work to do. Brignir had given her a survey to fill out so he could decide where best to place her. During the next week, she would be touring all of the Guard positions so she could see what they were each like and decide which she liked best. The final decision would be up to Brignir's judgment alone.

Words at the top of the paper read _Spell out applicant's full name and age in ink._

She wrote: Tauriel, Daughter of Faedolian, age seventeen centuries.

_What are your specialties?_

Hand-to-hand combat, including mastery of daggers and swords; archery; and some areas of healing.

_Do you have a preconceived post of choice?_

Patrol guard.

_Why would you like this position?_

I have always wanted to deal with threats inside the forest's borders and protect the innocents and travelers in this forest.

_What would you bring to this position?_

Calm efficiency, lethal tactics, a swift mind, and a developed sense of justice.

_What lessons did you excel at?_

Writing and Forest Geography.

_What lessons were the hardest for you?_

Forest History and Economics.

_List your current residence and any other information members of the Guard may need in order to contact you._

Room 17C; I spend most of my time exploring the forest but can usually be reached between one hour and four hours after high noon.

Tauriel had to check the plaque on her door to make sure she had gotten the numbers right (she had). Then she folded her survey so it would be ready the next morning and made sure her window was open so she would be able to hear the eagles calling to each other as they came back from their nighttime hunt. They were a favorite clock for the elves of the forest as they usually flew back to their eyrie just before the sun rose. It certainly wouldn't do to be late-especially not on her first day as a member of the Guard.

She wasn't at all nervous for the coming day; in fact, she was nothing but excited. She couldn't wait to show the other Guard members that she deserved to be in the Guard even though she'd taken the test at quite a young age. She was sure she would impress them with the finesse with which she used her daggers and shot her bow with accuracy that was directly on the mark.

To put it simply, Tauriel couldn't wait for the rest of her life to begin.

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	3. First Day

**Disclaimer: I do not own Middle Earth. Enough said.**

All too soon, the cries of the eagles roused Tauriel from her nightly meditation as they swooped back to their eyrie. She tried to ignore them, but it wasn't easy. Their loud screeches penetrated her dream world and made it impossible for her to rest as long as she would have liked. Thoughts and musings had made her unable to relax for most of the night.

A few minutes later, there was a loud knock on the door. "Tauriel? Are you up?"

She groaned and rolled over, not ready to leave the comfort of her bed. The mattress she lay on was softer than that of any bed she'd ever slept in, and she wasn't quite ready to leave it.

The knocks came again, more insistently this time. "Tauriel, get up! Breakfast is in twenty minutes." There was a short pause before the voice spoke again. "I don't have to pick the lock and come in myself, do I?"

"Fine, Raena! I'm getting up!" Tauriel forced herself to sit up and become alert. Today would be a busy day-she was sure of it. Which meant she had to be ready-and she only had twenty minutes.

She hurried to dress, practically throwing on the uniform she'd set out the night before, and hastily brushed and braided her unruly red hair. She hated doing her hair in the mornings; it always got mussed overnight and was a nightmare of tangles. Finally, when she thought she looked mostly presentable, she grabbed her survey and her best pair of daggers and went to find the dining room where she would be having breakfast.

Outside her bedroom, she immediately encountered a problem. All the hallways leading away from her room looked the same. There were no signs to guide her, so she had no idea where the dining room actually was.

"Need help?"

She spun around to notice an elf leaning against a doorframe at the other end of the hallway, watching her with amusement. "Not particularly." Tauriel set off down a hallway at random, determined not to ask for help.

"I would not go that way if I were you."

She stopped in spite of herself. "Why not?"

"The dining hall is this way. This is your first day, is it not?" The elf was coming over to her now, eyes dancing with barely suppressed laughter. Tauriel couldn't help but like him.

"Yes, it is. I passed my test yesterday."

He looked her over appraisingly. "You look a little young to be a Guard member."

"Yet I graduated with top honors."

"Congratulations. That is quite an extraordinary feat. You must be quite skilled if the King accepted you so young."

"I'd like to think that I am. I practice whenever I can find the time for it."

"Good, because that's all we do here-practice and practice and dream of the day when we will actually get to see active duty." He bowed deeply to her. "Amlis, at your service."

"Tauriel, at yours."

"It is a pleasure to meet you, Tauriel. Come-we have to hurry or we'll miss breakfast altogether." True to his word, Amlis took off at a fast sprint, making Tauriel run to keep up with him. She tried to take note of the corners they turned and the rooms they passed, but they were going too fast and she soon had to give it up as a lost cause. Finally, they reached a large wooden door the size of two normal doors stacked on top of one another and twice as wide. Amlis knocked once, purposefully, in the exact center of it. Almost immediately, a small flap near the top of the door opened and a wide brown eye stared down at them.

"Password?" the eye asked quietly.

Amlis rolled his eyes impatiently. "Come off it, Meren! We are quite hungry here."

"And you may get your food-as soon as you say the password."

"Fine. Mallorn."

"Correct." The flap slid shut and the door opened with a loud groan.

"That was Meren." Amlis explained. "He thinks it's funny to invent passwords to get into the dining hall-and he switches them all the time. You have to be on your feet. Otherwise, you'll be locked out-which isn't fun, trust me."

"Thank you for the advice." Tauriel murmured, head spinning and stomach grumbling unpleasantly. There was so much to remember-_Amlis, Meren, Mallorn…_

The dining hall consisted of a long table, groaning under the weight of platters of food and surrounded on both sides by hungry elves. The air was filled with the sound of their voices as they talked, laughed, and yelled to their friends seated on opposite sides of the table. While Amlis ran to find his friends, Tauriel scanned the table nervously until she located a familiar face-Raena. Quickly, she ran to find a seat next to her.

Raena beamed at her brightly. "Good morning! Did you sleep well?"

"Yes. The mattresses here are heavenly."

"I know." She handed Tauriel a plate. Tauriel proceeded to heap it high with mounds of fruit, fresh greens, and eggs. The breakfast rush reminded her of mornings at the training center spent arguing over who got the last bite of bread or the last piece of fruit: where survival of the fastest was the rule of the game. "So, do you know your schedule?"

"I think so…I have training in the morning, paperwork until lunch, free time after that, and a patrol after dinner. What about you?"

"Almost the same as you. We have the same training lesson, then I have a late morning patrol. I'll be eating out in the forest and be back around 1400. After that, I'm free until the night patrol."

Tauriel nodded in satisfaction. "Do you know who Amlis is?"

"Of course. He was initiated last year and has a knack for remembering every map he sees. He's our scout, and kind enough. Why do you ask?"

"He showed me how to get here. I would have gotten lost otherwise."

Raena blushed sheepishly. "Sorry about that. I was going to walk you down, but another of my friends wanted to walk with me instead. I have something that might interest you though. Legolas is going to train with us today."

Tauriel almost choked on her cup of water. "_What?_"

"Don't act so surprised. It's not unheard of. He's the best of any of us, and he likes to give advice-"

"I know, but…I didn't think I'd be seeing him so soon."

"You'll be seeing a lot more of him these days-maybe more than you like. He spends as much time with the Guard as he can-especially while they're on patrols. I think he gets bored at the palace."

Tauriel knew he did, on occasion. She'd only been in the royal palace a couple of times for holiday balls, but she knew that for most of the rest of the year it was filled with foreign dignitaries and visiting ambassadors-people Legolas had no interest in meeting. At least at the Guard, there was no telling who you would see or what you would do.

Just then, an older elf stood up on a table and waited until he had everyone's attention. Tauriel thought she recognized his brown eyes even before Raena told her that his name was Meren and that he was both a member of the Guard and an unofficial member of the kitchen staff. "He's in charge when it comes to food."

"All right, elves! Breakfast is over! To work!" Meren cried in a loud voice as several elves protested.

Raena pushed her plate forward and gestured to Tauriel to do the same. Tauriel did so reluctantly, taking a last bite of egg. They followed the crush of elves into the hallway and let the crowd carry them to the training room. "The kitchen staff cleans up after the meals. No dishes for us to wash."

Tauriel had to smile. She could get used to this.

The Guard used the same training room as she had while she was completing the levels. In fact, Tauriel had taken a class with the Guard years ago, just after her 957th winter. She could still clearly remember everything about the class-including how hard it had been. She'd hoped that she'd dramatized that part of the experience over the years and she was really just overthinking its challenges, but after only being in class a half hour, Tauriel had to admit that it was brutal. It was much harder than her training classes had been-she did exercises she wasn't accustomed to so many times they hurt. However, no one else appeared to be particularly bothered-except for the three other new recruits in the class, who also looked like they were about to pass out.

Tauriel was relieved when their instructor told them they could get a drink of water. Her throat felt like sandpaper, and she shifted impatiently from foot to foot while she waited for the person in front of her to finish drinking his fill. Finally, it was her turn. She took gulp after gulp of the refreshing water, feeling a little better with every swallow. When she was finished she went to stand by Raena and together they examined the Guard members, watching as they showed off and swung their weapons. Legolas was not among their number.

"Where do you think he is?" Tauriel asked.

Raena shrugged, braiding a strand of her light hair that had fallen in front of her face. "He may be busy. He is not always punctual."

Tauriel would have wondered farther, but the lesson was already starting again. She was beginning to fill with excitement, as dagger training was next on the program. Daggers were and always had been her specialty, ever since the disaster with the fishing knife. They were the first weapons she'd been given when she started her training and she'd loved them ever since-they weren't as heavy as swords or as hard to maneuver as bows. They were fast and efficient-just her fighting style.

Their instructor, Brignir himself, demonstrated a complicated combination of swipes and parries. He went through it step by step two more times, making sure everyone could see where he placed his hands. "All right. Who thinks they can give it a try?" he asked.

Tauriel's hand shot up into the air, met with murmurs of amusement from the older students. Brignir smiled at her encouragingly. "Are you sure you have it all, Tauriel?" he asked kindly. "It was quite a long series of moves."

"I can remember it." she replied. Brignir let her take the center of the floor and Tauriel could feel everyone's eyes on her, judging her skills and assessing her strengths. She took a moment to collect herself and make sure she was focused before she began.

Within half a minute, the combination was over. She froze in her final position, daggers crossed, and waited for praise. However, when Brignir motioned for her to return to attention stance again he wasn't smiling. "That was fine for a beginner." he said simply. "However, you were going so fast that you missed an entire sequence of steps, and your grip was all wrong." He corrected it quickly, and the knives began to scratch Tauriel's bare palms uncomfortably in their new position. "You must not go so fast. Be patient, and do not undertake what you are not ready to complete."

Tauriel's cheeks burned as she went to stand next to Raena again. Raena smiled at her encouragingly. "Don't let Brignir get to you. He dissects all the newest recruits."

Tauriel sighed. "I wanted to be good at using daggers."

"You are! There's just a different scale here in the Guard. It takes time to mature up the scale. You didn't honestly think you were going to score a level ten on your first day here, did you?"

She turned away. Of course she hadn't. That would be ridiculous. All she'd been hoping for was an 8.5.

As if things couldn't get worse, she saw that Legolas was standing in the next cluster of elves, demonstrating a particularly tricky step. "Did he see it all?" she asked Raena.

"Yes. "

Tauriel sighed. This wasn't going to be as easy as she had thought it would be.

She didn't have a chance to talk to Legolas after the lesson because she had to go right along to Paperwork-a job she found extremely boring.

Indeed, all the Paperwork room consisted of were four small tables covered in piles of paper, quill pens, and bottles of ink. There were no windows she could look out of. There were no pictures she could daydream about. In fact, there was barely anyone she knew-except for the boy she'd met that morning-Amlis. As she didn't have anywhere else to go, she sat next to him and tried to copy what he was doing.

Amlis took out a sheet of paper and a smaller slip of parchment with a line of small print on it. Tauriel strained to see what it said: _Your patrol found a colony of spiders near the forest borders. Currently, they are outside of the forest, but they could come inside at any time. Write a report to the Captain of the Guard explaining any concerns you may have._

It might as well have been Black Speech to Tauriel.

"You know, you could just ask me for help instead of staring at my paper like that." Amlis chuckled.

Tauriel quickly shifted her gaze to her own sheet of paper. "Fine then. What exactly are we supposed to be doing right now?"

"You have to write a report based on the scenario you're given." He held up the slip. "For example, I'm writing about spiders."

"And how exactly do you write a report?"

"There's a very simple format…You put your name, the date, and the time of day at the top of the paper. Then you write 'Dear Captain'. That's very specific. It has to be 'Dear Captain', if you're writing to Brignir. If it's anyone else, you write 'Dear Commander', or Dear Soldier', depending on their rank and position. Then you just write about the problem and what you think could be done to solve it." He was writing furiously as he spoke, and Tauriel realized he had the smallest handwriting she'd ever seen. "It's best if you include specific names of other Guard members. Brignir likes that. Then, when you're finished, you just sign off with 'From, Amlis, Year Two'. Except you'd write-"

"From, Tauriel, Year One."

"Exactly."

Tauriel began to write in the format specified. "What if you've never found a colony of spiders before?" She had no idea what she'd do if she found a colony of spiders. Kill them, maybe? Anything to keep them from coming inside the forest.

"None of us have. These are just prompts, in case something like this were to happen someday. Almost none of the prompts have actually happened."

"Oh."

"Tauriel, I know you want to be a Patrol Guard, but I hope you know that patrols are very rarely exciting. More often than not, you'll spend four hours outside and see nothing but a few oddly colored birds and maybe a couple deer. Patrols hardly ever fight orc packs, or kill spiders."

"But what about all the spiders in the forest?"

"You are not allowed to engage them if they are outside the kingdom's borders-which they always are."

Tauriel got too much ink on the tip of her quill pen and accidentally showered her paper with minute dots of liquid. She swore softly as she pulled out a fresh sheet.

"Cheer up." Amlis said, patting her on the back awkwardly. "Patrols are fun. It's about the only time you can take it easy around here. Our instructors keep us up from dawn to dusk practicing."

Tauriel was surprised to find that he wasn't exaggerating.

After lunch, Tauriel spent her free hours hiking her favorite path through the forest. She didn't see anyone else, elf or otherwise, which suited her just fine. She wanted to be by herself right now. She wanted to replay the day in her head and see where it had gone wrong.

It was the Guard lesson, of course. It had severely injured her pride. She'd thought she'd been holding her knives the right way, but apparently she hadn't. The new grip was tricky to figure out and it still hurt her hands.

Just then, she heard a strange sound-a low murmuring in the trees directly above her head. She spun around and looked up, wondering if it was one of those strange birds Amlis was talking about.

There was nothing there.

She continued walking, sure that her imagination was playing tricks on her-until she heard it again.

Right away, she looked upward. This time, she caught a flash of black-almost like eyes watching her from the tree branches.

Tauriel turned and headed back for the Guard compound, shivering. She knew she'd just seen something unusual-and she was sure it wasn't friendly.

Legolas had had a point, even if no one else wanted to acknowledge it: the forest wasn't as safe as it had once been. Fell things crept in the shadows.

For the first time, she felt the tiniest bit apprehensive about the night's patrol.

For the first time, she realized that anything could happen.

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	4. On Patrol

**Sorry for the slightly longer wait for an update. I had a really busy schedule this week. Hopefully I'll be able to get a couple more chapters up in the coming weeks, as I'll be out of town towards the end of the month. **

**Thanks to WoodElfJedi for reviewing!**

That night, Tauriel arrived at the rendezvous point an hour early.

She felt both excited and nervous. Strictly speaking, this wasn't her first patrol. A few months ago, she'd gone on one with Raena so she could see what they were like, but she hadn't been initiated then. Everything had changed now that she was a full member of the Guard. In this way, she was familiar with the way things worked before patrol: she was to make sure the patrol would have everything they needed for an overnight journey. The palace borders were too expansive for one patrol to practically watch them all; three companies were required, each setting out from a different point. Each company patrolled their section and spent the night at a station nearby. These stations were supposed to be supplied with enough food, water, and weapons to keep the members of the patrols safe for the night-but they weren't always-so it was advisable for them to bring their own. Tauriel brought as much as she could comfortably fit in her knapsack.

After a while, another member of the Guard came to meet her-an elf Tauriel had never seen before. She introduced herself as Merial, a fourth year. She surveyed Tauriel's bags of supplies and nodded approvingly. "Good." She took a seat next to the younger elf and began to stretch out. "Are you nervous?"

"No." Tauriel lied.

"As you shouldn't be. Nothing ever happens on patrols."

"So I've been told."

"You'll be fine as long as you remember to stick to the path. As this is your first patrol, you don't have the routes memorized yet, and if you wander off the elven road you could easily get lost and we wouldn't be able to find you." Merial added gravely. "Just follow our instructions."

"Of course. How many soldiers typically go on patrols?"

She shrugged. "It depends, but overnight patrols tend to be a little bigger. Tonight there should be six of us: Raena, Maris, Dracan, Legolas, you, and me. Dracan will be patrol leader as he's a Year Five and has the most experience. I think you already know Raena and the Prince. Maris is my twin brother. Speaking of which, he should be here now." Merial looked down the hallway, which was still deserted. "We have to get going."

Just then, another elf tore around the corner. His dark hair, so like his sister's, flapped out of its braids in his hurry. "I apologize for my unpunctuality."

Merial rolled her eyes in annoyance. "Apology accepted. Help Tauriel prepare our bags."

Maris nodded amiably enough and went over to Tauriel. "Well met. I assume my dear sister has already introduced me. You must be Tauriel." He stuck out a hand. "It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance."

"And yours as well." Tauriel said as she ran through the contents of her pack one last time. Everything seemed to be in order: waterskins, food, and blankets for when they reached the station.

Just then, Raena turned the corner. "I would have gotten here earlier, but the afternoon patrol ran long."

"Did you see any spiders?" Maris asked in a tone that indicated he already knew what the answer was going to be.

Raena looked away. "No." Tauriel thought there was something she hadn't told the group. Hopefully, it was just nothing. Knowing Raena though, they definitely had a problem. However, Legolas was already arriving so she couldn't interrogate her further.

"Prince Legolas!" Maris called. "We were afraid we would have to leave without you!"

Legolas smiled one of his rare smiles. Tauriel wished he had occasion to smile more often, because it made him look younger and happier-as if he hadn't seen too much sorrow and death. Everyone in the forest had; it was becoming commonplace for love and grief to be one and the same in the forest. Most elves had lost loved ones. "How would you have left without your patrol captain? Dracan has not arrived yet." It was not a question.

"At least Dracan has a reason to be late. You however, do not. What were you doing back at the palace? Polishing the trophy room?"

The Prince had to laugh at that. "Rest assured, Maris, that my father will not allow me to go within ten feet of the royal trophy room." He turned to Merial. "Do you have a job for me?"

She nodded. "We're running low on liquid for the skins. Why don't you go down to the wells and get some fresh water? Take Tauriel with you."

Legolas nodded and turned to Tauriel. "Are you ready?"

Tauriel nodded excitedly. She was sure that even going with Legolas to get some more water would be more productive than checking their stores for the fifth time and listening to the twins' banter. However, Legolas waited until they were well out of earshot before he began to speak. "Merial and Maris mean well-although they'd get more done if they stopped arguing with each other all the time. However, that may be too much to hope for. They're always arguing."

Tauriel could believe that. "Do you go on patrols with them often?"

"About as much as I go on patrols with any other Guard member. I try to keep things even, so no one will accuse me of having favorites."

Tauriel decided that it would be best not to mention the hours he'd spent with her years ago, training her with all manner of weapons and honing her skills until she was at the top of her class-despite her lack of formal training. He still didn't hesitate to give her private lessons when their schedules permitted it. She knew why this was though-because she was more than just one of his many subjects. Somehow, in some way, they'd connected that day in the forest. Now, they were something different: friends.

They reached the underground wells that supplied all the citizens of the forest with fresh water. Usually, the deep pits in the center of the earth were crowded with elves filling bucket upon bucket with clear water, but it was mostly deserted at the relatively late hour. "Hold this." Legolas said, handing Tauriel all the empty water skins except for the one he was going to fill. Calmly and steadily, he hoisted spoonful after spoonful of water to the lip of the pool and deposited them gently into the skin.

Tauriel glanced down at the empty spaces. She could barely see the water level now, glimmering like black malice far below them. She'd heard tales that the pools had been overflowing with water, pure and clean. However, century after century of elves gathering this precious necessity had taken its toll on the resource-the water supply was a lot lower. In a couple more millenniums, the wells would probably dry out completely, and the elves would be forced to dig new ones.

"What are you thinking about?"

She startled from her trance to find Legolas looking at her curiously. His hand was frozen mid-scoop. "Nothing. Just the wells."

Legolas followed her gaze and nodded. "They're fascinating. I used to play down here when I was younger, though Adar said it was very dangerous. I was always careful."

Tauriel could only imagine what it would be like to grow up in the palace, where there were endless nooks, crannies, and places to explore. "Have you ever known anyone that fell into one of the wells?"

"And lived to tell the tale? No. I have seen someone drown before though-only a child. After that incident, I stopped playing down here." His eyes seemed to veil-the same veil Tauriel often saw at state funerals or when her friend talked about his mother, though those occasions were very rare. She immediately felt guilty.

"I'm sorry, I did not mean to-"

"It was in the past. I have moved on." Tauriel very much doubted that. She didn't know if it was even possible to fully move on after a death-especially that of someone you loved. She still missed her parents-and they had died a thousand years ago.

Legolas topped off the last remaining water skin and handed her a few to carry. "You did well during Guard training today. Everyone was impressed."

"You lie. I made many mistakes."

"Yes, you made mistakes, but you had raw power and spirit. Spirit is hard to come by, especially in those who have seen combat. Come on-the others will be wondering where we have gone. I'm personally going to find Dracan myself if he isn't ready by the time we reach them." He started to walk back the way they had come.

Tauriel hung back for a minute, still staring at the wells. She could almost imagine that she heard a child's voice crying out in pain and terror. Had the little elfling known, even as he or she struggled to get a breath, that they would die there alone and in the dark? She shivered at the thought.

"Tauriel, we cannot linger." Legolas called impatiently from the other side of the room.

She was almost grateful to turn away. "Coming!"

Though Tauriel had never met Dracan, she recognized him on sight.

The fifth year had a varied and illustrious reputation-apparently, he had killed an entire pack of twenty orcs on his own with a broken arm in order to save a wounded comrade. His arm had never healed properly since, so he carried his long broadsword warily in his good hand. He spoke little besides giving orders, and he usually shocked those around him into silence. He did not say hello to Tauriel, though he did incline his head slightly in greeting. "Are we ready to move out, my prince?"

Legolas scanned their small company, each elf shouldering a knapsack and nodded. "Let us go meet the others."

They followed Dracan through a number of twisting passageways until they reached a large, open room that was crowded with elves. Three elves who seemed to be in charge were clustered around a large map of the forest on one wall, talking in low voices. Immediately, Dracan went to join them.

"What are they doing?" Tauriel whispered to Raena.

"Those are the leaders of the other three night patrols. They take information from the day's patrols so they know if there are any new dangers in the forest they need to be aware of. Then, they'll tell us where we'll be going." She still seemed preoccupied with something, and it was beginning to annoy Tauriel.

"What is it, Raena? You've been acting strange all afternoon." She dropped her voice another two octaves. "Did you see something while you were on patrol?"

"It's nothing-"

"Tell me."

Raena sighed. "Fine. If you must know, my patrol encountered a dead spider this afternoon."

"What? A dead spider?"

The older elf nodded. "We don't know where it came from or who killed it. The morning patrols did not tell us about it. We worry there may be a nest nearby."

Tauriel had hundreds of other questions she wanted to ask Raena, but she didn't get the opportunity. Dracan was coming back over to them, a piece of parchment clutched in his hand. "We have our route." he said simply. "We'll be taking the elven road south."

"That's near Dol Guldur!" Maris commented. "It's too dangerous." Tauriel had heard about all the disappearances lately-all stemming from that fortress.

Dracan glared at him. "The road is safe enough. We will stay well away from the Hill of Sorcery. Come-we lose the light." The members of the patrol followed him in single file out of the briefing room and down the elven road. From her position between Raena and Merial, Tauriel could see the other patrols leaving in three different directions: one each to the west, east, and north.

The forest grew steadily darker the farther in they went. Tauriel found herself jumping at strange noises in spite of herself; even the familiar cawing of birds sounded harsh and forbidding to her now. Soon, it was black as night. Although Tauriel's elven sight wasn't hindered much, she still had to concentrate on avoiding the many tree branches that twisted up to trip her and make the ground under her feet uneven. These trees didn't feel like the Greenwood trees close to the palace; these trees were far older. Tauriel could imagine orcs or goblins creeping through the undergrowth. She kept her knives at the ready.

A gentle tap on her shoulder got her to look at Raena, never once breaking stride. "The Southern Patrol is the worst." Raena confided. "The forest is a little darker and everyone gets a little more nervous. I'd just like you to know that we haven't lost anyone yet."

"How reassuring. Thank you very much for those extremely helpful words." Still, they comforted Tauriel. Unlike the last time she had been this deep in the forest, she was not alone. And she knew for certain that Legolas and Raena at least wouldn't let anything happen to her-not that she planned on needing to be rescued.

They walked quietly for hours, eyes intently scanning the surrounding landscape for threats. They didn't see anything alive, dark creature or not. Finally, just when the moon was at its highest, they reached the Guard station.

The station wasn't much: a small tower that stuck up just above the forest canopy. The main level had three rooms: an all-purpose room where the members of the patrol could eat and sharpen their weapons, and two bedrooms. There was no discussion necessary: Tauriel, Raena, and Merial took one room while Legolas, Maris, and Dracan took the other. At the very top of the station was an observatory with a panoramic view of the surrounding treetops.

Maris was almost singing as he grabbed handfuls of sticks and kindling with which to start a fire. Merial soon joined in, singing in a low voice.

"_The night is dark_

_The forest deep_

_Other elves_

_Are all asleep._

_Don't fear the darkness_

_Or the night_

_I will be near you_

_Never leave you_

_Until you wake_

_In morning's light."_

Merial blushed crimson when she realized that everyone was watching her. "I apologize. My naneth used to sing that song to Maris and me whenever we had trouble sleeping."

"It's all right." Raena replied. "I know what that feels like. My mother sang to me too. Every night."

Tauriel could feel a small lump in the back of her throat. None of them had mothers anymore.

They ate a quick dinner of fresh greens and a few pieces of fruit and retired for the night soon after that. The girls' room had four beds, two on either side of the room. Tauriel quickly chose the bed closest to the door in case she had to make an escape and Raena took the bed next to her, leaving Merial to find a space across the room. They passed the rest of the night in relative silence, in silent meditation and reflection.

The next morning they broke camp early, ate a quick breakfast, and moved out. The walk back to the palace was lighter than it had been the night before, and conversation flowed more freely. Once again, they didn't see any other living things.

That all changed once they reached the briefing room again.

The room was crowded with elves, all talking over each other in their rush to be heard. This wasn't what worried Tauriel though.

In between the regular elves were elves wearing the green and blue uniforms of palace healers.

Legolas tried to make his voice heard to see what was going on. He flagged down a passing elf whose eyes looked bloodshot from worry and exhaustion. "What happened here?"

The elf wasted precious seconds bowing so low the crown of his head brushed the floor. "Hir-nin Legolas. I'm afraid I bring bad tidings. Last night, the northern patrol was attacked and they have only just returned. Many are wounded."

"Wait-they were attacked?"

"Yes, my lord. They said they were attacked by a nest of spiders."

Translations from Sindarin:

Hir-nin: my lord

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	5. Secret Meetings

**Happy Valentine's Day, everybody! Thank you for reading this story; I hope you're enjoying it so far!**

**On to chapter 5: **

At first, Tauriel didn't believe what she was hearing. A patrol had been attacked? She had never known that to happen-not in recent memory, at least. "I thought the forest was cleared of spiders." she whispered to Raena.

Raena nodded. "As did I."

Just then, a healer Tauriel didn't recognize gently tapped her on the shoulder to get her attention. "Would you mind rolling these, please?" she asked, handing the shocked member of the Guard a handful of bandages. "We can always use more."

"Yes, of course." Tauriel retreated to a quieter corner of the room, where she could observe the proceedings in peace. Things did not look promising. A few elves had nasty scratches down the sides of their faces, still bleeding profusely, two were unconscious, and one was holding his arm at an angle that looked anything but natural. The scariest thing was that he didn't even seem to realize what he was doing; as if he no longer felt any pain.

She shook with rage. The spiders had no business trespassing in the elves' part of the forest. She was also upset that she hadn't been there to help. She'd been helpless during a tragedy-after she'd promised herself she would never act that way again.

"Do not berate yourself." Merial said, coming to sit next to her. She was rolling bandages as well, as her feet tapped a nervous tattoo on the marble floor. "There was nothing we could have done. We were on the other side of the forest."

"I know, but does it not infuriate you to wonder if there was something we could have done? What if we could have prevented this somehow?"

Merial sighed. "Believe me, I have wondered the same thing many times. No good comes of it, Tauriel. All we can do is care for the wounded and thank the Valar that it was not us in harm's way."

"I might have preferred that."

"What if someone had gotten hurt-or worse? What if we had had to tell Thranduil that his son had died in a fight with a spider? All we can do is be grateful and count the blessings we have."

"You are right, of course." Tauriel looked out at the crush of elves, all running around with nothing to do. "I just wish there was something we could do."

"You could inquire down at the infirmary. They will be understaffed this early in the morning."

Tauriel nodded gratefully and handed her bandages to Merial so her companion could finish rolling them. She ran the short distance to the Guard infirmary like she had wings on the bottom of her feet.

Merial had been right-the infirmary was severely understaffed. Six beds were occupied by members of the patrol, but only two healers ran between them with poultices, potions, and fresh bandages. The healers seemed to be quite young; they had probably just completed their training. They looked slightly panicked at the enormity of the task in front of them.

"Do you need any help?" Tauriel asked, watching them from the doorway.

Immediately, one of the healers came up to her, wiping a few beads of sweat from her forehead. "Thank you for the offer. Do you have any healing knowledge?"

"The basics. I can wrap wounds and check them for infection."

"We may be able to find a place for you. Most of the healers are off duty today so we are short of staff until the others arrive. Do you think you could get things from the back as we tell you to?"

"Of course."

"Wonderful. Follow me." The healer went into the next room, which turned out to be a supply closet of sorts. It was well stocked with potions, bandages, blankets, and bunches of herbs for ailing patients. At first Tauriel was overwhelmed by its sheer size, but she soon realized that there was a system to it all-everything was labelled and everything had a place. It wasn't hard to navigate in. The healer made sure she knew what she was doing before she went back to tending to her patients.

"Athelas!" the other healer called out. Instantly, Tauriel had grabbed a sprig of the pale white flowers off of one of the middle shelves and placed it in the elf's outstretched palm. A second later, her companion asked for a bit of yarrow and Tauriel ran to retrieve it. She tried to work fast and efficiently, knowing that even a delay of a few seconds could mean certain death to someone suffering from spider poison.

They continued that way for another hour. Tauriel soon learned the names of the two healers. Wren was the elf who had first shown her the supply cabinet; she was small and dark haired. By contrast, Tiera was tall with auburn hair similar to Tauriel's own, albeit a little darker. As she had suspected, both were new; this was the first time they had handled an emergency of such a scale.

"Where are the other healers?" Tauriel asked after a while. It seemed to her that they should be getting some reinforcements. By now, word of the patrol would have spread.

"They should be on their way. Perhaps they were caught in a crowd. I heard the palace has been almost overrun." Tiera answered.

"Everyone is worried about where the spiders will strike next." Wren shivered.

Tauriel nodded. In spite of herself, she was worried too.

Within the hour, three more healers arrived to help Wren and Tiera. By then, most of the wounded patrol members were in stable condition and Tauriel found she was no longer needed. Even so, she was hesitant to leave the infirmary in case something else happened.

"Are you sure there is nothing else I can do?" she asked Wren during a lull. Wren shook her head, but one of the new arrivals spoke up instead.

"The families of the survivors are beginning to arrive. They are understandably very nervous and worried about their loved ones. You can tell them that they are in good hands and doing well." he directed.

Tauriel nodded and went to go see what the situation was like. The healer had spoken the truth; the infirmary's waiting room was crowded with the survivor's families. They were all talking over each other in their rush to make themselves heard and ask for news about their sons, daughters, brothers, sisters, and friends. Tauriel felt a small pang in her heart just watching them. If she were ever wounded on a patrol one day, would anyone wait for news of her like this? It wasn't as if she had any family.

Just then, she felt someone tug on the sleeve of her tunic. It was an elf a few years older than her, his eyes wide with worry. "Please! Have you any news of my sister, Taia? No one has been able to tell me anything and I am very worried about her."

"What does your sister look like?" Tauriel responded quickly.

"Brown hair, green eyes. She has a mark, like a half moon, on the right side of her forehead. Tell me please, does she live still?"

Tauriel instantly knew who he was talking about-a young elleth who had been injected with spider poison but seemed to be recovering well. "Yes, she does. I have just seen her. She was bitten by a spider, but she is doing well and getting better quickly."

Instantly, an invisible weight dropped from the elf's shoulders. "Will I be able to see her soon?"

"As soon as she is moved to a private room I will come and get you." Tauriel said as reassuringly as she was able. As the elf melted away into the crowd, a small smile on his weary face, she realized she hadn't gotten the chance to ask him his name. At the moment however, she had other things to think about. She was practically being mobbed by other relatives, all clamoring to know about their loved ones. She had to stand up on a table in the center of the room and wait for everyone to quiet down before she was finally able to talk.

"Your loved ones are all fine. We were very lucky; there were no casualties. As soon as they are pronounced to be in stable condition, which should happen in the very near future, you will be able to see them. Until that time, please break into small groups and stay with your party. Family members only at this time." She tried to keep her voice calm. The last thing the healers needed was an overload of riled and worried family members in the examination rooms.

Tauriel stayed in the infirmary for a couple more hours to make sure everything continued to go well. She watched as first one group and then another was let in to see the patrol members. Finally, when the waiting room was almost deserted, she allowed herself to take her leave of the infirmary and see what was happening elsewhere in the kingdom.

Celemet, Legolas's personal guard at state affairs, was waiting for her outside. He fell in step beside her but didn't speak, as was his custom. After about five minutes he purposefully bumped into her-not enough to knock her down but enough to press a piece of paper into her hand. He nodded once to her and seemed to melt into the trees of the forest. Tauriel shivered as she examined her prize. She knew that Celemet was entirely devoted to Legolas and would die before he let anything happen to the prince, but he still gave her the creeps sometimes. It turned out Celemet have given her a letter-probably from Legolas, judging by the small and neat script.

Tauriel-

Meet me at the door outside the palace wine cellar tonight after the evening meal. We have to talk.

From, Legolas

That night, Tauriel bolted down her food and was waiting at the designated meeting place about twenty minutes early. She shifted nervously from foot to foot, waiting for Legolas to show up. It wasn't unusual for him to be late; he was often forced to go to meetings and state dinners that went on for hours. However, when someone finally arrived it was not Legolas but Raena.

"Hello, Tauriel." she said, seemingly confused to see her there. "What are you doing here?"

"Legolas sent me. How about you?"

"Same reason."

They exchanged rather stilted conversation, trying to make sense of the events of the day. Raena had gone to the palace with Dracan and Legolas to get the full story, but she hadn't learned anything new-much less helpful.

"It is strange-the spider nest grew up almost overnight." Raena shivered. "The patrol the night before did not see it-or if they did, they said nothing of it."

Just then, Legolas rounded the corner of the palace. He was still holding a goblet full of a clear liquid. "I apologize for being late. The emissaries my father wanted me to meet were rather…long winded." He turned to Tauriel and cocked his head slightly, rather like a curious deer would. "How are the members of the patrol?"

"Alive and well. They will all survive-but we will not be able to question them for at least another couple of days while they recover." Tauriel reported.

"The nest of spiders must be destroyed. We cannot risk the chance that the spiders will respond and attack another patrol. We were lucky today-we might not be so lucky again." Legolas muttered gravely. "We have to do something."

"The Guard is going to question the survivors once the healers pronounce them well enough-" Raena started, but Legolas cut her off perhaps without realizing he was doing so.

"Two days is too long. I intend to do something to stop the spiders now-and I want you both to come with me."

Tauriel raised an eyebrow. She was used to Legolas making outlandish statements, but they were never this outlandish. "You want us to destroy an entire nest of spiders? On our own?"

"Of course not. That would be suicide. I simply propose that we follow one of them and scout out the nest. Maybe we can find a way to impede the spiders, if not kill them. We will not engage unless absolutely necessary, if need be. What do you think, Raena?" He obviously still felt bad about interrupting her.

Raena considered. "Legolas, it's a very dangerous idea."

"I know-which is why I have asked the two of your to come with me. If you refuse to come, I understand-but I trust you not to tell anyone why I left or where I will be going."

"You didn't let me finish. I was going to say that it's a very dangerous idea-which is why you'll need backup. And I think Tauriel and I can provide that for you-because I for one will be going with you. What about you, Tauriel?"

"Of course. I can't let the two of you have all the fun, can I?" Tauriel wondered if this truly was a good idea. Nothing good could come of infiltrating a spider nest-and so much could go wrong. But Legolas seemed set on it, and once he was set on an idea there was almost nothing she could do except follow him to be sure he wouldn't get hurt.

They made plans to meet in the same place the next day at the crack of dawn. After about an hour of near silent planning and strategy they finally said their goodnights. Raena and Tauriel walked back to their apartments in silence, each preoccupied with their own thoughts.

_This is dangerous. You really shouldn't be doing this, _the rational part of Tauriel's brain thought.

_On the other hand, this is what you were trained to do, was it not? What if you could have saved those patrol members this morning? What if you could have saved your parents? It would be nice to get revenge on one of those foul creatures, would it not?_ her emotions responded.

Tauriel had always been one to listen to her emotions over her sense of reason.

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	6. The Discovery

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Tauriel barely slept that night. She worried that the spiders would be back, and this time they would attack the palace. She knew this was a foolish fear, but she couldn't help it. She also had a lot of time to think about Legolas's plan-which meant she got a lot of time to think about what a terrible idea it really was. Unfortunately, there was no going back now.

As soon as she heard the eagles calling, she got up and left to meet Raena and Legolas at the meeting place. Raena met her as soon as she stepped outside her room, almost like she'd been waiting for her. "Good morning."

"Good morning." Tauriel replied. She fell in step beside Raena as they walked. "Do you think this is really a good idea?"

"No. I'm actually confident this will turn out terribly." Raena said helpfully.

"We should not be going."

"I know." Just then, they reached the rendezvous point and found Legolas already waiting for them. He twirled a dagger expertly, throwing it high in the air and catching it expertly in one hand. Tauriel rolled her eyes. _Show off. _

"I was thinking that we take the same path the doomed patrol took last night. If you see a spider, kill it." Legolas headed off into the forest using the same path all patrols started out on, leaving the girls with no choice but to follow him.

"Did you hear the news?" Raena asked after about ten minutes of walking in tense silence.

"What news?"  
"Our training building is getting a new overseer. Her name is Maelia. She says that she was part of the Guard a long time ago, but-"

Legolas froze. "Did you say Maelia?"

"Yes. Why?"

He shook his head. "Nothing. Sorry. I thought she was someone else. But no, that is good to hear. I know how you felt about your old one."

The old overseer, who had been in charge of both the younger members of the Guard and all the orphans living in the buildings provided for them, had been about as nice as a horse with a thorn stuck in its hoof. She had never seen eye to eye with Tauriel and had often punished her by making her do extra chores, in the name of discipline. In a show of spite, Tauriel had never learned her name and called her Pointy Nose behind her back and even to her face when she was feeling especially gutsy. "Well, she cannot possibly be any worse than Pointy Nose." she chimed in.

Just then, they reached the place where the patrol had been attacked. Tauriel could still see the remnants of a fight-broken tree branches, strange depressions in the grass as of bodies hitting the earth, and smears of red and black liquid on the bark of nearby trees. She knew better than to touch them, but she could still tell they were bloodstains. "Be on your guard." she said unnecessarily.

As they had been taught, they spread out to cover all possible angles but stayed close together so they could cover each other if it became necessary. The early morning was cloudy and cool, with a biting wind in the air. Tauriel pulled her tailcoat firmly around her, but it didn't do much good.

"Something is very wrong." Raena whispered, barely lifting her voice. "I can feel it."

Legolas nodded. "Stay alert." He began to walk further off the path and into the forest. Raena followed after him, her eyes expertly raking both sides of the path. Tauriel scanned the trees they were leaving behind. They couldn't be taken by surprise. Not now, when no one knew where they were or could help them if one of them got hurt.

Just then, Raena stopped abruptly and Tauriel almost crashed into her back. "What is it?" she asked rather irritably, still tense and worried about what could be lurking in the nearby trees.

"Look." Raena pointed into the foliage. There lay a spider body in a pool of dried blood, still as a piece of rock. Tauriel could see a couple more in the distance, long dead but still bleeding.

A few minutes later, Legolas made another discovery. He pointed out a large section of spider web, strung between two trees. It was bigger than any web Tauriel had ever seen-and it was filled with small yellow eggs. "They are spawning."

Tauriel glanced around again to be sure they weren't being followed. "I have an idea." Before anyone could stop her, she leapt nimbly into the tree just above their heads and went over to the nest, drawing out her pair of daggers as she did so. When she was in range, she neatly cut through one of the webs, sending two or three eggs hurtling to the ground. Legolas and Raena made short work of them, chopping them up into fine bits.

She moved on and sent more eggs flying to the ground. Soon, they had cleaned half the web and the ground was littered with broken eggshells. Tauriel was actually having a little bit of fun with it; things were going well and they were on time. Maybe they would even get back in time for breakfast.

Suddenly, she heard a low rustling sound behind her. She spun around, peering into the dense foliage. She held herself completely still, straining to hear even the tiniest sound.

There was another rustle, nearer this time. Tauriel brandished her knife warningly.

Suddenly, a spider sprang at her out of nowhere, knocking her off of her thin branch. She fell and hit the ground hard, feeling little tremors of pain run through her back, but she ignored them for the time being. Raena pulled her to her feet and asked if she was all right. Tauriel nodded and brushed a few strands of hair out of her face in sheer annoyance. She'd allowed the spider to sneak up on her. She noticed that two more had come to join the first, clacking their mandibles as they stared at the elves. Three on three. A fair fight.

"Circle back to the path if we get separated." Legolas whispered. "We will meet there." Then the first spider leaped and he rushed to engage it, immediately stunning it with a blow just between the eyes. Tauriel recognized it as a useful move and took note.

The second spider leapt and landed almost on top of Raena, but she was ready and easily flipped out of its path. After a minute, the third spider leaped as well to fight Tauriel. With disgust, Tauriel realized that it was the same spider that had knocked her off the branch.

She went to work, pretending that this was just another day in the training classroom. She measured her strokes evenly and watched her opponent carefully, gauging its next move. Like most spiders, this one was large and slow. Tauriel was easily able to aggravate it by slashing at its unprotected sides, ducking every time the spider tried to bite her. Spider poison wasn't an instant killer, but it led to extreme drowsiness, swelling, and severe sickness in cases where it was left untreated for too long. Finally, she managed to embed her knife deep into the spider's head. When she pulled it out again her knife and hand were covered in black blood but the spider was dead.

She circled back to the path and went to the meeting place Legolas had arranged. Her two friends were already there; when Tauriel scanned them for injuries they seemed to be mostly unhurt. She pulled a leaf off a nearby tree to wipe her knife on. Her Guard instructors, Brignir especially, had taught her that not cleaning her dagger after a kill was akin to capital punishment and the lesson had stuck. Raena often brought handkerchiefs to a fight for just that purpose.

"Is everyone all right?" Legolas asked, taking stock of the situation. "Any wounds? Tauriel, that was a bad fall. How is your back?"

Tauriel probed it experimentally. It was sore, not broken. "It's fine. And yourself?"

He showed her a small scratch on the side of his left wrist. "My spider's stinger just nicked me. Do you think it is serious enough to get checked out?"

Raena nodded. "You should always be careful with spider bites. They may not look like much, but they can grow into huge problems if you are not careful."

Legolas nodded and sighed. "I have to think of a good story. Adar does not know I left the palace this morning. Even Ciera will ask questions." Ciera was the head healer of the royal family. She had known Legolas for most of his life and could always tell when he'd done something he wasn't supposed to do.

"You will have to tell the king about the spider nest though. There must have been at least forty spider eggs in that web." Tauriel added. That was what confused her most of all. The forest had been cleansed of spiders just a few weeks earlier. The fact that they were spawning this quickly was worrying at best.

Just then, they reached the Guard building and Legolas bid farewell to the other girls. While Raena went inside to see if there was any breakfast left, he turned to Tauriel and asked. "What about a private lesson? Tomorrow morning?" The next day was a Sunday, and Tauriel didn't have any jobs to do for the Guard.

"Sure." 'Private lessons' was the technical term for the hours Tauriel and Legolas sometimes spent in the training center together in the mornings before any other elves got up. They sparred and worked with different weapons to help Tauriel hone her skills in preparation for upcoming promotions or tests. Sometimes, they just did them to have fun since they didn't get to see each other that often during the week. Occasionally, Raena came to these sessions too, but for the most part they belonged to Legolas and Tauriel alone. "I will see you tomorrow if something does not come up."

Legolas nodded. "I thought I should let you know that you are doing well for a beginner. You fought your spider today better than most elves your age would."

"I have had plenty of practice, you know-and I've learned from the best."

That day, Tauriel had sparring practice for most of the afternoon. She was winning a dagger fight with Amlis when a messenger dressed in the royal green of the king's servants came into the room. Instantly, all activity ceased.

"Does this have something to do with you?" Amlis muttered. Tauriel could only shake her head. At least, she didn't think so.

The messenger took out a small sheet of paper and read "By order of Thranduil, King and Guardian of Greenwood the Great, I ask Tauriel daughter of Faedolian and Raena ward of the forest to accompany me to the king's palace. Thranduil wishes to speak to both of you." He waited impatiently in the doorway.

"Right at this second?" Tauriel asked. The messenger nodded.

Amlis raised his eyebrows. "What is the occasion?"

"I do not know-but it probably isn't good." _He found out about our little…excursion. I am as good as dead. _

The messenger showed the two elves to the palace in silence. Raena was perhaps even more nervous than Tauriel. She was actually shaking from nerves.

"Calm down." Tauriel said. "I'm sure he hasn't found out about the trip."

"But what if he has? What if we are stripped of our posts? Or killed."

Tauriel bit her lip. She knew her king could often be extremely stern. She hadn't been nervous before, but now she wondered if she ought to be.

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	7. Questions

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Tauriel hated waiting.

Currently, she was waiting in a small antechamber off the throne room with Raena. Their messenger had left them there, saying he would be back when the king was ready to see them. As the minutes passed with no sign of him, Tauriel began to get more and more nervous. Of course, Raena was in even worse shape.

"Stop pacing. You're going to wear a rut in the floor." Tauriel said as her friend paced back and forth across the room.

"What if he found out where we went this morning? He could kill us, Tauriel. He could order us executed, he could throw us in the dungeons-"

"There is no need to antagonize. I am sure he will not do that to us. The king can be reasoned with, if you speak reasonably. Calm down, Raena."

"What if-"

"Take a seat."

Reluctantly, Raena sat down on the very edge of a couch across the room. Her fingers drummed against her thigh nervously.

Just then, the door to the room opened and they both stood up. The messenger gestured to Raena. "The king will see you now." he said.

Raena nodded and followed him into the hallway. She glanced behind her once and Tauriel gave her a reassuring wave. _You'll do fine. _Raena seemed to set her jaw and walked away, her jaw set and head erect. It was hard to believe that just minutes before she'd been on the brink of a nervous breakdown.

Tauriel waited and waited for what seemed like hours. The messenger didn't come back. She wished she had a book to read, just to pass the time. The room was devoid of interesting things; there were no windows and nothing to read on the circular wooden table in the center of the room. She knew that if no one came in the immediate future, she was going to start pacing too.

After what seemed like an eternity, the messenger came back. "The king will see you now." he said. "Follow me." Almost gratefully, Tauriel followed him through one winding palace hallway after another to the throne room. They waited outside a set of heavy double doors for a few minutes; the messenger professed they would swing open of their own accord.

"Where is Raena?" Tauriel asked, realizing she hadn't seen her friend on her way.

"I think her meeting went well. She is probably returning to her Guard building as we speak."

Tauriel sighed in relief. "Good. Is the king in a reasonable mood today?"

The messenger looked at her almost strangely. "Is he ever?"

Tauriel had hoped she wouldn't have to have a personal meeting with the king for at least another couple of years. From what she had heard from other members of the Guard, they almost never went well. She had never personally met anyone who had been dismissed from the Guard, but that didn't mean it never happened.

She respectfully kept her eyes down as she approached the throne room-or throne dais, whatever you preferred to call it. She wondered if it would lessen her punishment if she showed the utmost respect to Thranduil, although she doubted it. "You wanted to see me, hir-nin?"

"Yes. I would like to know why my son checked into the infirmary this morning with a spider bite."

Tauriel tried to act surprised. "I am sorry. I do not know what you are talking about."

"Spider bites are no light matter. Thankfully, Legolas's injury is not serious. However, it raises a few questions-such as what he was doing this morning to put himself in such a perilous position." Thranduil reached for the bottle of Dorwinion wine that was permanently kept next to his throne and poured himself a glass. "Would you happen to know why?"

Tauriel willed her hands not to shake. "No. I was in the training center early this morning to practice some strikes. I hope you did not think I had anything to do with the Prince's…escapade?"

"And yet I do. My son always seems to engage in…rather reckless activities whenever you are present. You and your friend, Raena. However, she seems to be the more reasonable of the two."

This was probably a true statement, but Tauriel still felt offended. "I do not know what you speak of. May I leave now?"

"I do not believe you are telling me the full truth."

"I was in the training center today. Ask any other members of the Guard."

"Believe me, I already have. The two stories coincide, but I have reason to believe the injury may have occurred before the training center opened for the day."

"I am sorry to hear about your son, but I do not know how he was injured."

Thranduil nodded curtly. "I suppose not. However, I would like to know how your patrol went two nights ago."

"It went well, hir-nin. We did not encounter any spiders."

"You will tell me, won't you, if you see anything that could become a threat to our people?"

For a minute, Tauriel wanted to tell him about all the spider eggs they had seen that morning-that the creatures were still spawning, and spawning fast. But to do so would only get her in trouble-along with Raena and Legolas. No, it would do no good to tell him now; she would have to come up with a different plan. Surely there would be another way to alert the Guard to the spiders' presence without losing more lives or her position. "Yes, of course."

"As I expected. You may go."

Tauriel turned to leave and felt her heartbeat slowly returning to normal. Suddenly she remembered what she had been meaning to ask the king and spun back around. "Hir-nin?"

"Yes, Tauriel?" Thranduil was beginning to sound disinterested and Tauriel knew she shouldn't press her luck.

"May I go see Legolas tonight? I need to know the day's password to get into the infirmary."

"You may only stay for an hour. He needs to rest. Say that you have come on special authority from the king himself. They will let you in."

"Thank you, hir-nin."

Tauriel practically ran out of the palace and back to her apartment. She spent the rest of the remaining afternoon on pins and needles, waiting for Thranduil to realize that she'd lied to him. However, when no more messengers had come by the time the evening meal rolled around she allowed herself to relax. Surely if the king wanted to arrest her, he would have done so by now.

"How did it go?" Raena asked over a dinner of fish and potatoes.

"He asked me a lot of questions about where I was early this morning. I do not think he found out about our…little side trip."

"Good." Raena's face briefly clouded over. "It is strange, Tauriel-he did not ask me a single question about my whereabouts this morning."

"What do you mean?"

"He just wanted to talk about how my time in the Guard was progressing and where I plan to take things next. Nothing out of the ordinary, although it is strange that he would be discussing it with me and not Brignir."

"Maybe he wanted your input."

"I doubt it."

"I would not worry about it. Do you want to go see Legolas when we finish eating?"

"Are we able to?"

"Yes. I was granted special permission from the king himself."

Raena smiled broadly. "You are full of surprises today, Tauriel."

The palace hallways were mostly deserted as Tauriel and Raena made their way to the royal infirmary later that evening. Tauriel had had to judge a drinking contest between two older Guard members and it had taken a long time for it to conclude because of so many side interruptions from the audience. Now she only had twenty minutes to spend with Legolas; the palace curfew was almost up and everyone would be required to leave. Not even the king's allowance would buy them more time at that point.

When they reached the infirmary, Tauriel was relived to find that the place was mostly deserted. The only person still around was Ciera-and all she was doing was cleaning up, putting away old books and dusting the furniture in the waiting room. She nodded cordially to Raena and Tauriel but didn't halt her cleaning frenzy.

"May we see Legolas?" Raena asked politely. "Is he awake?"

Ciera nodded. "The poultice I have given him to get rid of the spider poison may make him drowsy. You may not have a lot of time-but I am guessing you will not need much."

"Is he on the mend?" Tauriel cut in. She wanted to know if her private lesson would be cancelled or if she would still have to get up at the crack of dawn on her day off.

"Yes. He should be fine by tomorrow morning. Even if he is not, I doubt the prince will allow another day of bed rest."

"I do not think he will." If there was one thing Legolas hated more than anything in the world it would have to be bed rest.

Raena caught Tauriel's attention and gestured to the clock meaningfully. They only had fifteen minutes left.

"It was nice to see you." Tauriel concluded. "Which room is Legolas's?"

"Second door on the right side of the hall. The same one it always is." Ciera smiled tiredly and Tauriel and Raena almost eagerly took their leave.

Tauriel impatiently knocked on the door the healer had indicated. She knew she was in the right place because of the two green leaves carved high up in the center of the door. "Legolas? It's Tauriel and Raena. May we come in?"

There was the sound of footsteps and the door opened. Legolas seemed relieved to see them as he went back to his bed, where he was propped up on a mound of pillows. His sleeve had been rolled up and something on his lower arm had been heavily bandaged. Tauriel winced as she saw the bandages were stained a nasty shade of black.

"It looks worse than it is." Legolas said casually. "Ciera makes a ruckus about every little thing. There was hardly any spider poison in my blood. There is no need for her to pretend any differently." He tried to move his arm but found that the bandages restricted his movement. "I already feel fine."

"Leave it alone. You are not healed yet." Raena countered. "Have you been picking at it again?" One corner of the bandage was frayed and almost coming off.

"I got bored. There was nothing else to do." Legolas had to be constantly in motion; sitting still for any length of time pained him terribly.

"If the bandage falls off they will have to make a new one and then you'll be stuck here even longer." Tauriel replied. "We brought you some potatoes from our evening meal. Thought you might like them." Carefully, she emptied out her coat pockets onto the clean white bedspread. Little wedges of potatoes landed on the bed and stained the bedcovers with little drops of gravy-which stuck out clearly among all that white. "Whoops."

"I will clean it up after you leave. Worry not." Legolas took a small bite of one of the potatoes experimentally, almost as if he were testing them for quality. "These are very good."

"They should be. Meren takes pride in his potatoes."

Legolas finished the potatoes and yawned loudly. "So, what do the two of you have planned?"

"What do you mean?" Raena asked.

"Are we going on an adventure? Are you here to get me out of here?"

"You need to rest. We would not want to irritate your wound."

"I swear to you-it has healed. I am only here because my father will not take my word for it."

Raena rolled her eyes. "Just ten more hours. You can last that long."

"I am not at all sure."

Tauriel and Raena exchanged looks. Raena's was serious: _Do not encourage him. _But Tauriel's thoughts were going in a very different direction: _Really, how bad can it really be? _"Raena, could you perhaps make a diversion?"

Raena groaned. "Not you too!"

"Come on, just a small diversion. We will only go out to the archery fields. You can see the stars from there. We'll only be gone a couple of hours."

"You will be out past curfew." Raena said drily.

"I know secret passages through these walls." Legolas said, already sitting up and preparing to stand. "I can promise we will be back before anyone realizes we are gone. Now, if you could just undo this bandage I would be much obliged and we could get-"

Tauriel raised one eyebrow. "Do not push me."

"Fine-but we should get going."

Raena sighed. "This isn't a good idea. We could all get in very serious trouble."

"Raena, we could have gotten in trouble many, many times today-but we did not. All you need to do is provide a diversion. They will never be able to trace things back to you, if you are worried about that." Legolas reassured her. "I promise I will come back if I feel even the slightest bit ill. And if you do this for me, I will be forever in your debt."

Raena managed a smile. "It is a very hard offer to turn down-"

"Please, Raena?"

"Fine-but if the two of you are still out in two hours I am going to raise the alarm."

"Thank you. You will be rewarded richly."

"Stay safe-both of you." Raena nodded once more and left the infirmary. As soon as she was out of sight Legolas crossed the room in two steps and threw open the window. "Come, Tauriel."

Tauriel nodded and followed him out of the window. A convenient tree branch sat directly under it, easily within reach. Within seconds they had climbed down the tree and stood in the quiet forest. Tauriel didn't realize how late it had gotten; the wood was bathed in the pale white glow of moonlight.

Legolas easily led the way, weaving between trees and stepping over particularly troublesome tree roots as if they simply didn't exist. They walked in silence, feeling the dark forest press in around them-too dark, too quiet.

Just then, a loud horn call rang out through the otherwise silent night. Tauriel stopped to look at the palace they were leaving in the distance. Dimly, she could see a small guard on the top rampart, signaling for two of his compatriots to raise the portcullis. Within the hour, Thranduil would seal the doors with the little magic his wooden staff possessed-true magic from the first days of the wood elves. At that point, they would be locked out for the rest of the night.

Legolas tried to get her attention. "We are almost there."

Tauriel nodded. They weren't far from the archery fields-and those were still safe enough, even in the dead of night. She glanced back one last time at the palace, hoping Raena had gotten out safely.

"She will be fine." Legolas whispered, almost as if he had read her thoughts. "We will be back before anyone realizes we are missing."

With that, he plunged deeper into the tree line. Tauriel had no choice but to follow him.

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	8. Nighttime Adventures

**Sorry for the wait. I had a really busy week. I'm getting ready for a school play and I have the lead role, so I have a lot of rehearsals at the moment-which doesn't leave a lot of time for writing. **

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Raena watched, riveted, as the palace gates were sealed for the night. Tauriel and Legolas had not returned in time. She sighed and watched the forest floor, wishing for any sign of movement to show that her friends had come to their senses and decided to come back.

"Raena? What are you doing out this late?"

She spun around, cursing the fact that she had allowed someone to sneak up on her. Amlis stood nearby, looking at her curiously and a little suspiciously. "No reason. Guard business. I was just heading back to my room."

He fell in step beside her. "Then I will accompany you. It is not far."

They walked in silence for a while. Raena hoped that he would leave soon, perhaps to finish writing a report of some kind. She wanted to be by herself for the moment, to remember how close she had come to losing her post.

Unfortunately, Amlis didn't seem to be going anywhere. "So, I hear you were summoned before the king today. What happened? You aren't in trouble, are you?"

Raena rolled her eyes. "Of course not. He just wanted to talk to me about my training and where I would like to take it from this point."

"And where would that be?"

"I'd like to keep improving and be a member of the Guard for as long as I can."

"A fair goal." Amlis stopped outside the doorway to her room. "So, do you have anything else to do tonight?"

She shrugged. "Not really. Why do you ask?"

"There is something I want to show you. Come on." Amlis turned down a small side passage and back into the forest night. Raena followed warily as he turned off the elven road and onto something little more than a deer path. The ground beneath their feet was more like grass than stone. They walked for about five minutes, until they reached the side of the palace. At first, Raena still didn't see why they had come. All she knew was that it was considered an offense to be anywhere near the palace after dark and she didn't think she'd exactly get away if she was called before the king a second time.

"How much father?"

"Just a few more feet."

After what seemed like an eternity, he knelt down on the ground, back flush against the palace walls. "Take a look at this."

Obediently, Raena dropped to her knees as well. Amlis was almost stroking a large white-yellow orb that glowed slightly in the faint moonlight. On closer inspection, she realized why it looked so familiar-she had seen something just like it that morning. "Is that a spider egg?"

"I think so."

"What is it doing so close to the palace?"

"I don't know. I just found it a little while ago."

"Are there more of them?"

"I don't know that either."

Just then, the egg began to rock back and forth. Amlis jumped back in surprise as a small crack appeared in the egg's smooth surface-followed by another and another. Soon, a small spider jumped out-as big as his head and twice as hairy. It waved a leg at them menacingly, screeching in a high pitched voice. "Be quiet!" he hissed, trying to kick the spider and quiet it down. Instead, his action had the reverse effect-the spider began to scream even louder than it had before.

"Someone is going to hear us." Raena whispered. Silently, she pointed out two guards on the palace wall with their bows raised. They seemed to be ignoring them, much to her relief.

"It won't be quiet!"

Raena sighed. In one swift move, she took out her dagger and drove it through the spider's skull. It dropped to the ground, dead. "Is that better?"

"You killed it."

"Only because we had no other choice. Come on-we have to get back inside before anyone realizes we were gone."

"Wait, Raena-don't you want to see if there are more of them?"

"No. It is late and I am very exhausted. I will report it to Brignir tomorrow morning." The early mission was beginning to take its toll.

Amlis sighed. "How did it get here? If it had been full sized-"

Raena tried to imagine a full sized spider running willy-nilly down the palace halls. She couldn't. "I don't know. Do you think…no, never mind."

"No, go on. What is it?"

"Well, I just wondered if perhaps they were being placed here."

"By whom? Orcs would never come near this place unless they were extremely confident or extremely foolish."

"I don't mean orcs. I'm talking about elves-anyone with access to the palace, which is almost everyone."

Amlis stared at her. "Are you saying that there is a traitor among our ranks?"

"I'm not saying anything. I am just telling you my idea. Just forget it. It is nonsense."

Even so, both elves were very quiet on the way back to their rooms. The idea that an elf, one of their own kind, would plant spider eggs near the palace was too terrible to consider for very long-and yet the more Raena thought about it, the more it seemed the only reasonable explanation for what had happened. Finally, they stopped outside Raena's bedroom door for the second time. "I will see you tomorrow." Amlis said, nodding slightly to her.

"And you as well." Raena yawned and eased the door open. "Good night, Amlis."

"Good night, Raena."

The night sky was full of stars-more stars than Tauriel had ever seen or even knew existed. They filled the sky like white stitches on a black cloth-some forming constellations she recognized while others were completely foreign to her. "This is amazing." She couldn't remember the last time she'd been able to stargaze.

From the grass somewhere beside her Legolas replied "I know. There are so many of them." They had successfully reached the archery fields-and the sky was a beautiful reward for all the risks they'd taken to see it.

Tauriel pointed to a star that glittered brightly than the others surrounding it. "That's Melinya. The brightest star. Legend has it she was an elf princess who died in an orc attack on her home. Her father, the king, did not want to see her buried and her flesh consumed by the earth, so he instructed all of the best sorcerers in his kingdom to find a way of preserving her remains. However, none of them could find a way to do so.

"Then, just when they had given up hope, a mere apprentice stepped forward. He suggested that they make the princess into a star-the brightest in the night sky, so she could be a beacon of light and comfort to all. The king loved this idea, and so the star was formed."

"You know a lot about stars."

"They fascinated my father. He had a special love for them, and he learned all that he could about each of the stars and the legends behind them. Sometimes, when I was very young and I couldn't sleep, he would take me to look at them. While most elflings heard fairy tales, I heard tales of the stars; of princesses and dragons and eternal chases that still take place in the night sky each and every night."

"My adar used to look at the stars, too. I remember that he used to spend hours outside once dusk had fallen, gazing up at the sky almost as if he were waiting for something. I think he believed he would see my mother among them if he just looked hard enough."

"Did he ever see her?"

Legolas hesitated for a moment. "No. Eventually he stopped trying. Tell me another star legend."

"Are you sure we have enough time?"

"Of course. The night is still young. One more story and then we will go back. I promise."

"Fine." Tauriel wracked her brain, trying to remember a tale. Suddenly, she saw a ring of stars in an exact circle and pointed it out to Legolas. "That is the crown of Erineiel, a great elven queen. She was an incredibly wise elf. Her good judgment was renowned far and wide, and she was loved deeply by her people. Unfortunately, everyone has a fatal flaw-and Erineiel's was her great love for beautiful things. She carefully collected and hoarded jewelry of every size, make, and color. She had cavern upon cavern devoted to them and she doted upon them almost as if they were her own children. However, she had only one crown-small, gold, and rather simple. She had had it for as long as anyone could remember and never once had she gotten a new one-even though she could have refurbished it three times over had she chosen to.

"Then the worst happened-the queen was wounded in a large battle and it was not expected that she would survive. Her subjects wanted to do something in gratitude for all she had done for them, as they feared she did not have much time left. So, they all pooled their ideas and their resources to create something for their ailing queen.

"Eventually, they devised a plan-a crown made of pure starlight. This was a long and often tedious undertaking that took months to complete, but eventually the realm's best silver smiths crafted the most beautiful crown known to elves. It was made of millions of tiny particles of starlight, ground into one tiara. It was truly worthy of Erineiel.

"She got to wear it once before she died, on her last Feast of Starlight. All who saw her said that the queen looked radiant in her new jewels-more dazzling than all the stars in the sky. She died soon after, and the jewels of starlight scattered. Some returned to the stars they had been harvested from, but a few were recaptured and made into the fine silver. Centuries later, they would be used to make a necklace for a very different queen-but of course that is irrelevant to the tale at hand.

"The people were heartbroken. They had wanted their queen to be buried in her new tiara. But as it so happened, all they could find was the queen's old crown-the one that was simple and plain. Yet they buried her with it anyway, because that is what they believed Erineiel would have wanted had she lived still. The stars that returned to the sky formed that constellation."

"That necklace you speak of, the necklace made of starlight, belonged to my mother." Legolas commented.

"Where is it now?" Tauriel had never seen anything made out of pure starlight, though she would have liked to.

"In the dwarven kingdom of Erebor. I do not know if it will ever come here again. I hope it does; it is the only thing I know of that belonged to my mother."

They stargazed in silence for a while, each immersed in their own thoughts. It seemed like the gray light of dawn streamed into the clearing only moments later, although hours had passed.

Legolas scrambled nimbly to his feet. "We have to go. If we are discovered missing…"

"Don't remind me." The eagles were beginning to circle overhead, signaling that the day would be beginning soon. Tauriel thought there was a good chance she would fall asleep at the breakfast table.

They ran through the forest as fast as they could, ducking under low branches and skillfully jumping small roots. It seemed only moments later they reached the gates of the palace-which were stubbornly locked.

Tauriel swore as she rattled the heavy stone bars. "How do we get in?"

Legolas had begun to look a little nervous. "I forgot Adar locks the main gates at night as well. If we can get inside I know how to sneak into the palace undetected-but first we have to get through the gates."

They both examined the stone appraisingly. It didn't look terribly difficult to climb, but Tauriel wasn't sure if Legolas's spider scratch was up for the challenge. "Are you able to climb it?"

"I will manage. Go ahead of me."

Tauriel easily scaled the smooth stone and dropped to the ground beyond. "All right. Your turn."

Legolas scaled the wall just as she had, wincing slightly as he put pressure on his wounded arm. Tauriel realized that it had begun to bleed again, although not as much as the night before. "Are you hurt?" she asked.

"No, I'm fine." Legolas took a minute to collect himself before he landed next to her with a barely audible thump. They hurried to the back of the palace and Tauriel was shocked when Legolas bypassed the back door entirely and jumped into the Forest River instead.

For a minute, she just looked at him easily treading in the soft current. "What are you doing?"

"There is a secret passage that goes under the palace to the wine cellar. There is no chance that we will be seen-but we will have to swim for it. Are you up for the challenge?" He had the same glint in his eye he always did just before he broke the rules.

Tauriel smiled back. "Of course." And she dove right in.

Swimming back was not as easy as Tauriel thought it would be. The current was increasing in strength, and she had to swim twice as fast to compensate. When Legolas told her she could climb out she was almost gasping for breath and her body shook with exertion.

He smiled at her wryly. "You haven't done much swimming, have you?"

"Not really. I did not know you had."

"I have my ways. Come on." He led her up a small incline and pushed up on a large trapdoor. It swung upward to reveal a room filled with keg upon keg of wine that Tauriel knew must be the king's wine cellar. Legolas held the door for her as she climbed up, still dripping water, and then clambered out himself.

"What is that exit normally used for?" It was extremely secret, in every sense of the word.

"Empty wine barrels get sent back to Esgaroth. Other than that, it isn't used for much else-except for quick access to the palace when you need it."

They made their way through the silent palace until they reached a hallway that branched off in two different directions. In one direction lay the infirmary and the rest of the palace, while the other path led to the training center and Guard quarters. Legolas would go one way, Tauriel another.

"Thank you." Legolas said. "I had a very nice night, and I hope you did as well."

"Of course I did. Now get going-or I won't remember the night fondly because I lost my position the next day."

"Safe travels."

"And you as well."

"I will see you tomorrow morning-early." He nodded once to her and headed deeper into the palace, down a hallway lined with tapestries and intricately carved paneling. Meanwhile, Tauriel hurried in the opposite direction and hoped she wasn't too late for breakfast.

Finally she burst into her room and flung herself down onto the nearest available chair. She was asleep within seconds, her exhaustion finally catching up with her.

She couldn't forget how it had felt that night, lying on the grass under the stars and completely at peace.

Tauriel next awoke to a banging on her bedroom door. "Tauriel, open up or I'm picking the lock!"

She stumbled blearily to let Raena in, still rubbing the sleep from her eyes. "What is it? Let me sleep."

Raena rolled her eyes. "You slept all right-you're late."

Tauriel felt her blood freeze in her veins. "How late am I?" She dreaded the answer.

"Three hours. Brignir is not happy."

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	9. Leave the Past Buried

**Hi again! **

**Sorry about the delay. I had rehearsals every day last week-but luckily my play stars and ends tomorrow. After that I should be able to get back on a regular schedule.**

**Feedback is always appreciated.**

Tauriel could still remember one of the first lessons she'd been taught as an elfling-back when she had just started her Guard training: have constant vigilance.

Her weapons instructor had made a point of trying to startle all of the elflings in the class, just to see if they would jump. He'd said that in the real world, on real patrols, you wouldn't have time to jump (much less scream) before you were mauled by orcs or killed by a spider. Tauriel had taken that lesson to heart, mostly because she'd been on her guard for weeks afterward. However, she'd never once been startled during her training sessions.

Now, a decade later, she still employed constant vigilance every day-especially since the spider attack. The very idea that a member of the Guard might be working against the kingdom was absurd yet plausible-everyone needed to be monitored, as the weeks slowly passed.

However, she didn't have a lot of time to think up conspiracy theories because she was too busy speculating about the new overseer, Maelia. Maelia was a source of speculation for everyone in the Guard because she was unlike any overseer they'd had in the past. She was young, barely older than Dracan, and her needlepoint was as fine as her dagger skills. She was always kind and always took an interest in what the Guard members were doing-always encouraging, never reprimanding. And, most exciting of all, she spent one hour at the palace every night playing a game of chess with the king. No one knew why, or how the two knew each other, but it was clear they had a shared past that no one else was privy to.

"There she goes." Tauriel whispered. She was practicing her dagger skills in Raena's sitting room, jumping over settees and other pieces of furniture while keeping a close watch on what was happening outside the window. Raena was extremely lucky; her room overlooked the main passage between the Guard buildings and the palace. She could see everyone who used the path-and they wouldn't see her unless they looked way, way up.

"What are you doing, Tauriel?" Raena asked in exasperation, setting aside the book she'd been perusing. "You are going to break something if you're not careful."

Tauriel ignored this last comment. As a matter of fact, she'd broken one of Raena's antique vases only the week before and still owed her quite a bit of money. "It's Maelia. She is going to the palace."

"No she isn't."

"Come and see." She moved over on the window seat so Raena could see outside as well. Far below them walked a small figure carrying an even smaller chess set. It was undoubtedly their overseer-who technically was supposed to be inside the Guard area in case something went wrong.

"Where is she going?"

"The palace, most likely. Look, she has a chess set. I wonder what she does there every night."

"Well, obviously she plays chess."

"Yes, yes, but besides that! Why does she know the king? Were they friends once?"

"I would be surprised to learn that Thranduil had friends at any stage in his life, even before the battle of Gundabad." Raena replied.

"Of course he had friends! Legolas said he was quite popular as a prince. But anyway, it does not matter. I wish we could ask Legolas to keep watch for us from at the palace itself. I'm sure he could find things out."

Raena almost rolled her eyes. "Tauriel, I am sure things are fine. You should not worry about things that are out of your control."

"But it's so exciting! Are you not even the tiniest bit curious?"

"Not the tiniest bit. Everyone has their secrets-and I think they should be kept buried."

The next morning Tauriel was awoken early by a soft tapping on her bedroom window. She went to close the shades, thinking it was just a stray tree branch that had torn from the rest of its tree-but found a bird fluttering outside instead. Quickly she let it inside, where it hopped from foot to foot and cocked its head at her almost curiously. Not for the first time, she wished she could speak the language of the birds-but only the members of the royal family were taught that skill. Thranduil was the only elf in the kingdom who could fully understand their bird messengers, although Legolas was learning quickly.

Then she noticed the small note attached to its left foot. Quickly she tore it off and unrolled it, revealing a note in Legolas's careful handwriting.

Prince Legolas requires your presence at an impromptu training session to begin in five minutes at the training center.

Tauriel knew she would be up for the day. She gave the bird a few seeds to speed it on its journey and dressed quickly, rushing to reach the training center in five minutes. She just barely made it on time-whereupon she realized she had forgotten one of her knives inside. She swore softly, grabbing a replacement from one of the numerous racks of weapons scattered around the room. It felt heavy and awkward in her hands, not at all like the ones she was used to.

"Good morning." Legolas said, retrieving his knives from their sheaths.

"Why did you call me here? I think I'm adjusting rather well to the pace of Guard sessions, wouldn't you say?"

"Yes, I would say you are. I just needed a reason to talk to you."

"What about?"

He glanced around to be sure they were truly alone. "Two spider eggs were found in the palace gardens last night. Luckily for us they had not hatched, but all my father's gardeners were immediately dismissed. They were the only people with access to the place where the eggs were placed."

Tauriel's blood ran cold. "I thought they had learned not to bother us." There hadn't been a patrol attacked in a few weeks.

"Apparently not. Adar is asking the Guard to double the protection placed on the Southern borders-near Dol Guldur."

"We're already posting as many guards there as we possibly can. That would leave the east unprotected. We need troops in the north because of the old fortresses and the west because of our proximity to the Misty Mountains-and it would be a very bad idea to leave the east unprotected because a fire breathing dragon lives only a hundred leagues east-and in case you have forgotten, he could grow bored of men and dwarves any day and decide to burn the forest like kindling."

"I do not think Adar believes Smaug poses any sort of threat." He sighed and pulled on his tail coat, which was covered in gold inlay. "A delegation from Rivendell is coming to dinner and Adar is insisting I come as well."

Tauriel knew how much Legolas despised formal dinners. "I am sure it won't be as boring as you think it will be."

"Of course. It will be even more boring than it was the last time a Rivendell delegation came to dinner. I had to spar a little and clear my head. There are some times when I wish I had not been born a prince."

"And yet there is no one better to grow to be our king. Very well then." Tauriel whipped out her knives with one practiced swing. "Prepare to lose."

As it so happened, she was beaten quite badly-although she had expected nothing less. Legolas had never been one to go easy on her-even when she had first started sparring and could barely block, much less parry. And though she hated to admit it, he was still much better than she was.

"I win." Legolas said triumphantly as he pointed a dagger at her heart for the fifth time. "Do you give up yet?"

The first eagle calls echoed over the forest, forcing Tauriel to concede if she wanted time for breakfast. "Fine. I concede." She began to pack up her weapons, giving the knife she had borrowed a quick once-over with polish.

"You have improved much since our last lesson." Legolas remarked, though their last lesson had only taken place two weeks earlier. "You should relax your grip on your daggers, though. That will allow you to go for more targets at once and you will be able to change direction in midair."

Tauriel tried it experimentally. It made a huge difference; her range of motion was much larger. "Thank you. Have fun at the dinner tonight."

"I will try-though I doubt I will be able to."

"There is one more thing I was meaning to ask you…do you know why your father always plays a game of chess with Maelia in the evenings?"

"He says that it helps him relax. I know they've seen each other before, but he will not tell me where. I will tell you what I find out."

"Good." Tauriel checked the time and swore softly. "Five minutes to breakfast. If I don't go now, all the best fruits will be gone."

"Then you had better hurry. I will clean up the rest." Most of the equipment they'd used-staffs, nun chucks, and scythes-were scattered around the room with no particular rhyme or reason.

She smiled gratefully. "Are you sure you can handle all of it?"

"I am a prince, not a child. Now get going, Tauriel!" he laughed. Tauriel loved knowing that she had made him laugh; the prince had never laughed much to begin with, and she always felt a little surge of pride whenever she was able to get him to let down the mask of disinterest he was forced to wear whenever he was in the company of other nobility.

She ran back to the Guard building as fast as she could.

At breakfast, Tauriel learned that she would be spending most of the day collecting all the leaves that had fallen from the trees the night before and bringing them to the palace compost heap so they could decompose and be used to richen the soil in the spring. Although the wood elves didn't dabble much in the way of agriculture, most of the members of nobility had their own carefully tended herb gardens-designed just as much for beauty as for practicality.

As she worked outside, she noticed that it had grown a lot colder since the previous week. Winter was definitely on its way, to cover the world in white snow and ice. In a few short weeks, they would celebrate the holiday of Mawe's Day, where elves all over the country exchanged gifts and tidings of joy for the new year to come. It was Tauriel's favorite time of year-early winter when snow still seemed magical, the temperature was cold but not bitterly so, and the forest had not yet settled into the doldrums of January, February, and even March.

"You missed a spot."

"What?" Tauriel abruptly broke out of a pleasant daydream in which she had been buying gifts for all her friends. She would have to buy a lot: gifts for Legolas, Raena, Amlis, Merial, Maris, Leirial, Rowan, Raven, and her cousins.

"Over there. You missed a spot." Maelia was pointing to an overturned hollow log that Tauriel had just passed. On the outside it seemed leaf free, but inside it was full of old and wet foliage.

"Right. Sorry about that. I just got distracted." Tauriel set to work coaxing the leaves into one big pile.

Maelia smiled. "Do not apologize. It's a beautiful day outside. It would be easy for one's mind to wander."

Once again Tauriel was struck by how understanding Maelia was-especially compared to the old overseer whom she'd 'affectionately' called Pointy-Nose. Pointy-Nose would probably have yelled at her by now, if not punished her thoroughly. "Do you like collecting leaves?"

She shrugged. "It's all right. There are other jobs I enjoy more, but it's not the worse."

"Last year I had to fetch water from the wells for all the Guard members who were collecting leaves." It had been a grisly and brutal job. By the end of the day, Tauriel's arms had hurt so much she could barely move them and her clothes had been soaked through with well water.

Maelia shook her head in sympathy. "How terrible. I was in Rivendell this time last year. They don't put so much emphasis on collecting and storing leaves."

"What is Rivendell like?" Tauriel had never been beyond the forest borders, though she had always wanted to.

Maelia sighed, as if reliving a pleasant dream. "It is amazing, absolutely amazing. The birds always sing, there are always tales to listen to, and you never feel tired. I think it's something in the air; it invigorates you, makes you feel as if you could go on and on forever."

"I wish we had some of that here." Tauriel was starting to get a crick in her back.

"Yes…but sometimes it's good just to be where you are. It is nice to be back again, after so many years."

"What happened?"

Maelia looked away, through the trees. Farther down the path, more Guard members chatted about their plans for the weekend as a chill wind blew through the air and caused a few more leaves to flutter to the ground. One landed in Tauriel's hair, and she had to painstakingly pull it out. "I was…banished, for a crime I did not commit."

Tauriel couldn't imagine what it would be like to be banished from the forest, to know that you were not welcome in the place that had always been your home. "What happened?"

"I cannot say, not yet. The king…appears to have changed his mind. Or perhaps he just needs an extra pair of eyes to manage all the members of the Guard." Maelia chuckled. "In any case, I am more grateful than I can say."

Raena's words echoed through Tauriel's mind: _Everyone has their secrets-and I think they should be kept buried. _

For the first time, she wondered if her friend was actually right.

That night, the same bird that had given her Legolas's note about the training session brought her another one. This one was a little longer, and read:

I found out some new information about Maelia. According to Adar, they used to know each other. He was her mentor and taught most of her training sessions. She was banished after the Battle of Gundabad, though he would not tell me why. This is not the most interesting thing I found, though.

Tauriel, she knew my naneth.

They used to be best friends.

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	10. Preparations

**Sorry about the late update! My play went well, but I had a few tests last week that I had to study for and I was out of town last weekend. I will also be gone this weekend, so expect another update sometime next week. Thanks for understanding. **

**Also, thank you WoodElfJedi for reviewing!**

Tauriel hated surprises-even when she knew whether they were good or bad. Like today. Raena had just finished making her dress for the Winter Formal and she'd made Tauriel come to a dress fitting after training. Tauriel was dreading it vehemently.

Almost three weeks had passed since her conversation with Maelia as they collected leaves. Since then, the first big snow of the winter had come, blanketing everything-trees, buildings, and statues alike-in a soft covering of white. For a few days, commerce in the forest had been stopped completely as elves tried almost frantically to dig themselves out. No one had been able to come in or out. It had snowed on and off since then-another big storm was expected to strike within the next few days and everyone was trying hard to prepare.

"How many blankets do we have at the infirmary?" Tauriel asked, twirling a quill from finger to finger. Brignir had put her in charge of constructing an inventory of items they possessed and things they still had to acquire.

Amlis took a quick count. "Forty seven."

Tauriel scribbled down the number. "Will it be enough?"

"I would advise finding a few more in case there are cases of hypothermia among the elflings." Usually, elves didn't get cold unless they were sick. However, very young elflings could sometimes be susceptible to a winter chill if temperatures dropped too low.

"Good idea." Tauriel flagged down a passing member of the infirmary staff and conveyed the message. "How about herb stores?"

"All in order."

"Do we need more?"

"It looks like we're good on that front."

Just then, Merial called to them from the next room. "Do you know what our count on working fireplaces is?"

"Nope. Not ours. Check with Dracan."

Merial nodded and went back into the other room. Healers hurried to and fro, making sure potions and possets were in order and within easy reach. A few of them nodded to Tauriel by way of greeting, probably remembering her from the day she'd spent among their ranks after the patrol was attacked, but they didn't talk much even to each other. Tauriel thought they were being surprisingly calm considering Guard members were running in and out of the place at all hours of the day clamoring about whether or not someone had specific numbers of provisions. Then again, she had always thought of the forest as one big community-everyone tended to look out for each other and/or adapt accordingly. It was just one of the many things she loved about her home.

After a few minutes of awkward silence, Amlis decided to break the ice. "Your skill in daily training has been improving rapidly."

"Thank you. I have been practicing a lot."

"It shows. So, were you invited to the Winter Formal?"

The Winter Formal was the palace's big social event of the year. It was a ball of magnificent proportions, held each year two days before Manwe's Day. No expense was spared to make the ball as regal and beautiful as it could possibly be, and everyone wanted an invitation. However, the guest list was few and selective-usually restricted to members of the nobility. A few Guard members were allowed in every year, depending on their work ethic and skill shown over the course of the past year-some to participate in the festivities while others guarded the doors. Tauriel had been 'lucky' enough to score an invitation-mostly due to Legolas.

Of course, Amlis probably didn't need to know all the details.

"Yes. Were you?" she replied.

"Yes…but I think I'll give my spot to Maris instead. He has wanted to go to the Formal ever since his 2,000th birthday. I figure I should give him a chance while I still can. After all, there's always next year."

"Are you sure? We can swap out invitations-"

"No, it's fine. I don't really do much dancing anyway. I will be on Guard duty for most of the night-and that is good enough for me." He saw Tauriel didn't believe him. "Really, Tauriel. I'm fine."

Just then, Dracan passed through with arms piled high with towels. "Don't the two of you have work you should be doing?"

"Just taking a quick rest. No need to get upset." Amlis said quickly as he passed. Still, they didn't bother talking again until he was well out of earshot.

"Dracan…makes me uneasy sometimes." Tauriel confessed. "He is…very solemn." In all the time she had known him, never once had she seen him laugh, make a joke, or even smile.

"I know. He is very good-almost too good. He's been rising through the ranks faster than almost anyone."

"He must be quite dedicated."

"I don't think he knows anything besides Guard lessons. He is the son of a wealthy lord, sent to the palace to train when he was just an elfling."

"Has he been here ever since?"

"Yes. His father died two summers ago. He was the only family Dracan had left."

Merial ran back in, slightly out of breath. "Maelia is coming this way to check in with all the groups. If you are doing or talking about something you wouldn't want her to overhear, I suggest you cease immediately."

Tauriel nodded her thanks and they immediately switched topics to-of course-the weather. "When do you think the storm will hit?"

"Hopefully after we've finished preparing. I do not relish the idea of spending five hours out in the cold digging a way between-"

Just then, Maelia came in. "Hello, Tauriel, Amlis. How are you?"

"Very well, thank you." Amlis said diligently. "And yourself?"

"The same. How are you coming on your lists?"

"Finished." Tauriel said, handing them to her to look over. "We seem to be doing reasonably well-we just need more blankets and hot towels."

"I will pass the news along. Well, it seems as though the two of you have been working hard. Why don't you take a break and get some lunch? We can take it from here."

"Thank you." Tauriel said practically over her shoulder. She was already running out of the infirmary before Maelia could change her mind, Amlis close on her heels.

Thirty minutes later, the two had taken their lunches outside to eat ensconced among tree branches and foliage. They watched the elves moving below, going from one job to another like little ants busy with their work.

"What is this?" Amlis asked, holding up a leaf that dripped sadly and looked rather wilted.

"I do not know-but I don't think it would be wise to eat it. It looks contaminated."

Amlis chucked the leaf off his branch. It spiraled down slowly-and almost landed on Raena's head.

"What was that for?" Raena asked indignantly, swinging herself onto the branch next to Amlis.

He blushed a furious shade of crimson. "My apologies."

"You look so serious! Don't worry-I don't bite, if that is what makes you look so anxious. Besides, it's just a leaf."

"It could be contaminated." Tauriel added helpfully.

"With Meren in charge of the kitchen staff I would not doubt it." Raena bit into her own salad. "So, how was the infirmary? Any new patients?"

"Nope. No emergencies. No catastrophes. How did you spend your morning?"

"Making sure all roads to the palace were clear-making markers so we know how high the snow is and that sort of thing."

"What if the storm doesn't come?" Amlis cut in. "What if we have done all this for nothing?"

"I would not mind. Tonight my patrol would go south-I am glad to miss it." Raena shivered slightly, although the others knew why. Southern patrols were the most likely to be attacked.

"Then it was a blessing in disguise."

"Is there spare room up there?" Legolas asked from the forest floor, looking up at them curiously.

"Of course." Tauriel said, moving over slightly so she could make more room-and then almost falling off the branch.

"Are the preparations all in order?"

"They seem to be. No one has really told us anything for a while now."

"Lucky you."

"Had a busy morning?" Raena asked sympathetically.

"Yes. I have been running from one task to another-whatever my father can think to assign me. But we seem to be ready, whether there is a storm or not."

"Good." She finished the last of her salad and gathered up the remains. "Finished, Tauriel? I want to see you in your dress so I can make any alterations if necessary."

Tauriel stiffened. "Are you sure we have to go now?"

"Yes! The Winter Formal is in just a few days! We are out of time!" Raena swung out of the tree easily, sent one more impatient glance Tauriel's way, and headed back to the Guard buildings.

"You should not make her wait for long." Amlis said wisely.

"You're probably right. See you later." Tauriel waved to both of them and followed Raena, dragging her feet as much as she felt she could safely get away with.

Raena had more energy than a spider on a killing spree. She was practically running around her room, gathering measuring tape, thread, and pins that looked more like weapons of torture to Tauriel. She'd never liked getting dressed up, but the occasion warranted it-actually, it demanded it.

"I want to see your dress first." she said to Raena, adamant. "Just to see what I'm getting myself into."

Raena's face fell slightly. "Well, it isn't finished yet. I have been working very hard on yours and I haven't exactly had time-"

"Just show me what you have."

"…As you wish." Raena disappeared into a back room and came out a minute later wearing a dress of deepest blue. Its skirt was threaded through with little beads, which glittered and clinked together whenever she moved. It cascaded down to just above her ankles, but Raena never tripped over the low hem-moving with her simple yet elegant grace. To put it simply, she looked stunning.

"Raena, that looks amazing!" Tauriel said. "It's beautiful."

Raena blushed slightly. "Do you really think so?"

"You look wonderful, believe me. I wouldn't lie about something like this." Tauriel was still looking at the skirt, which rippled slightly as Raena turned so she could see the dress from all angles. "I love the way the skirt flows. It looks like ocean waves."

"Thank you." Raena sighed and stopped twirling. "I went to the Gray Havens once, with my family. I was very small, only a few centuries old, and yet I have never forgotten it. The way the ships rocked in the harbor, the way the gulls cried as they wheeled through the sky, the way the sunlight sparkled off bright blue waves…I have never forgotten it. I would like to go there again someday, when it becomes my time to pass to the Undying Lands."

Tauriel hoped that day would not come for a long while yet. "Well, your dress is truly a sight to behold. It almost makes me excited to see my own." She was still trying to hang on to Raena's story. In all the years Tauriel had known her, Raena had never once talked about her family except to say that she had been orphaned when she was very young. It was a forbidden topic, and she just got angry whenever anyone brought it up.

Raena beamed as she went to retrieve another dress. She handed it to Tauriel and instructed her to change quickly. Tauriel did so, more out of nervousness than any real sense of duty.

Finally, she stood in front of the mirror in Raena's living room. She was barely able to believe what exactly she was seeing, because the elf reflected back at her simply had to be someone else. She was never that graceful, that poised, that…

Beautiful.

The dress was forest green, like most of her guard clothes-but the dress was anything but ordinary. Motifs of small animals chased each other across the hem and bodice. It looked like something that had grown out of the ground rather than been made by elven hands. It made her look wilder somehow, more exotic.

"So? What do you think?" Raena asked excitedly, practically bursting with pride.

"It's…I don't know what to say."

Her smile faded. "Oh. Do you not like it then?"

"No, no, you misunderstand me. I do not have the words necessary to do it justice...It's amazing. I love it."

"Good. It looks beautiful on you."

Tauriel twirled experimentally, watching as the light fabric billowed out around her. It seemed almost surreal, as if it would disappear at any moment. "Wow…"

They stood there in silence for a few minutes, admiring the dresses. Reluctantly, Raena cleared her throat and sighed. "We should probably take these off. The last thing we need is for them to get damaged or ruined before the Winter Formal."

"Right, right." This time, Tauriel took her time changing. She paid almost meticulous attention to the dress, making sure it wasn't harmed in any way.

When she was sure she had hung it up so it wouldn't get a single wrinkle, she packed up her things and prepared to leave. She had a patrol to get to-going north-and she was going to be late if she didn't hurry. "Are you excited for the Formal?"

Raena nodded. "Mostly excited, but a little nervous."

"Nervous? Why?"

"There will be so many elves of the nobility…and Legolas asked me to reserve a dance for him. What if I make a mistake? What if I make a fool of myself in front of everyone, including him?" She confessed everything in a rush, as if eager to get it off her chest.

"Don't worry-you'll be amazing. Your dance with our prince is going to be amazing-you know it will."

"Thank you, Tauriel."

"Don't thank me. I should be thanking you for the dress. You finally managed to get me excited-just a little bit."

Raena laughed. "Well, that is a miracle. Have a good time on your patrol, Tauriel."

"Thank you." Tauriel nodded once and left, making sure the door was closed securely behind her. She didn't want anyone else seeing her dress until she wore it at the Winter Formal.

She was surprised to discover that she hadn't lied just to make Raena feel better. She was looking forward to the Winter Formal. After all, it would be a great way for her to meet new people from other parts of the kingdom. In that green dress, she had felt as if she could accomplish anything-even dance with someone she didn't know, if it came to that.

She couldn't wait.  
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	11. Winter Formal

**We are (hopefully) close to being back on schedule! I should have a relatively normal life for the next couple of months, so expect pretty regular updates. If I have time, I might upload another chapter this weekend, so I can go back to updating normally on Saturdays or Sundays. **

**Thank you so much WoodElfJedi, emlaba, and ThranduilLoveX for your reviews! I really appreciate your feedback and ideas. **

The day of the Winter Formal finally arrived. Tauriel couldn't remember an event that had been the cause of so much chaos-except perhaps the attacked patrol. But this was an altogether different kind of chaos-a great kind.

The snowstorm had hit as promised, dumping almost a foot of snow onto the forest. Thankfully, no one had gotten stranded in a snowbank or starved because of a lack of food. Within a day, the palace and the forest marketplace had been up and running and most of the forest residents had been able to move on-although they had to be careful to avoid patches of ice and branches hung low with loose snow. Amlis had passed under a tree at the wrong moment and had gotten snow all the way down his tailcoat. Tauriel had been suitably horrified and said all the right things in all the right places, but she'd had to try very hard to stop herself from laughing. She'd managed to succeed-but only just.

There was a loud knock on her bedroom door. "Tauriel! We need to go!"

"Coming, coming!" Tauriel was in a frenzy, examining her dress from every possible angle and making sure it wouldn't trip her up. She was also trying to coax her hair back into its customary braids-all the moisture in the air had driven it almost out of control.

She heard Raena sigh impatiently on the other side of the door. "Hurry up! You know they close the doors promptly at half past seven!"

Tauriel managed to tie off her braid and sighed in relief. The last thing she wanted was for Raena to get upset with her tonight of all nights. It was supposed to be a happy night, and she was looking forward to having a few hours where all she had to worry about was whether or not she would be able to find a partner for each dance. "Almost ready!" She threw on her cloak, stuffed her invitation into one of its deep pockets, and practically bolted for the door.

Raena was waiting in the deserted hallway, fingering the hem of her own cape almost nervously. "Do you have your invitation?"

"Of course. Do you?"

"I think so." She was now trying to button her own cape but her fingers were shaking so much that the holes kept missing their marks.

Tauriel rolled her eyes. "Let me help." Quickly, she buttoned the two buttons Raena hadn't been able to get and they began the short walk to the palace.

Tauriel instantly knew when they were getting close. The hangings on the walls became more and more elaborate and the walls themselves began to look less and less stained. It was clear that this was a part of the building where people paid attention to their surroundings; where things were judged by beauty and not efficiency. She also remembered ruefully that the last time she had passed through this hallway had been the day of her narrow return to the Guard building, dripping water from her little 'swim'.

They reached the palace gates at twenty five minutes after the hour. Amlis checked them in, smirking as he marked their names off the guest list. "You were almost late."

"But we weren't." Tauriel replied.

Amlis laughed. "That's right. May I take your coat?"

"You are such a gentleman, are you not?" Tauriel stepped out of her cloak and handed it to him to put away, as did Raena. She felt strange wearing a dress, almost as though she were exposed. She knew there was no reason for her to feel endangered-especially not tonight. There would be guards at every entrance and exit to the palace. It would be impossible for anything to get in or out unless it had express permission to do so from the royal family. Nothing would ruin tonight-the one night the palace opened its doors.

"I suppose so. Have a good night, ladies." He headed off a side passage, probably to a coat closet. Tauriel noted that he really seemed to be enjoying himself.

They went farther into the palace, hearing the strains of music coming from the ballroom. Tauriel could pick out familiar reels and waltzes from the days when she'd been forced against her will to take dancing lessons. She'd complained as much as she could safely get away with, but she still could dance in almost any style if she really had to.

Like tonight.

Raena was still shaking like a leaf in a gale-force wind. Unlike Tauriel, she actually enjoyed dancing and dressing up-and, also unlike Tauriel, she was still nervous. "You aren't going to faint on me, are you?" Tauriel asked quickly.

She shook her head, still seeming to be in another world. "I hope not."

"You'll do great. You know how to dance, even better than I do."

"What if I don't get any partners?"

"Well, you already have one confirmed. Anyway, you'll have an easier time of it than I will-and I know I'll be asked for a few dances."

Raena still didn't look appeased, but she'd lost her scared rabbit look, which Tauriel took as a personal victory.

Just then, they reached the dance floor. It consisted of a wide open space with a polished dance floor of white marble that had been cleaned until it was so shiny you could see your reflection in it as you danced. A band sat in one corner, playing on lutes and harps. A refreshments table had been set up in another corner, covered with all manner of foreign delicacies. Tauriel planned to visit it at least once over the course of the night-she hadn't eaten much at the evening meal. Most of the guests had already arrived, swirling around the floor in pairs or occasionally dancing alone. Elves from all social casts mingled, from the nobility to merchants to the Guard. Tauriel even saw a few palace servants, although she barely recognized them in their formal wear.

"Well, I suppose this is it." she said, eyeing the floor uneasily. "I will meet you at the front gate at the end of the ball."

Raena nodded, twining her hands together nervously. "You'll be nearby, right?"

"Of course. I'm not going to desert you, if that's what you mean."

"No, I-"

"Stop. You will be fine. Enjoy yourself, Raena. Opportunities like this come around only once a year, after all."

She smiled-finally. "You're right, Tauriel. Thank you."

Just then, a member of the Guard that Tauriel recognized but couldn't name stepped in front of Raena and bowed so low his braids almost swept the ground. "May I have this dance?"

"You may." Together, they practically glided off to join the dancing couples.

Tauriel made herself comfortable in a corner with a good view of the dancing. _This is going to be a long night. _

She hadn't been observing long when Riendel came over to her, out of breath from a lively reel. He was beaming as he pulled something out from behind his back-a single rose. He presented it to Tauriel with his eyes downcast, as if he were afraid to look at her. "I…I brought this for you."

She was touched. "Riendel…thank you. It's beautiful." She held it almost like it was a baby-fragile and breakable. "I love it."

He pulled her onto the dance floor, dodging dancing couples. "So," he said once they'd gotten into the swing of a stately waltz. "How are things in the Guard?"

"Pretty good. I'm not getting called out for bad form all the time. That's an improvement, at least."

"I would say so. You must be proud." Ten applicants were accepted into the Guard each year. Tauriel had been extremely lucky, getting in on her first try. Some, like Riendel, tried for years and years but still ended up getting cut from the team.

"I am. Don't worry. I'm sure you will get your chance soon enough."

He shrugged, obviously past caring. "I am beginning to think that the Guard isn't for me. I have been thinking about pursuing a new career goal."

Tauriel supposed she had expected nothing less, but the news still felt like a punch to the gut. If Riendel chose a new track of study, he'd be so busy that she'd be able to see him even less than she already did-which was practically never. "Are you sure?"

"Yes. I…I think I want to brew wine."

"Oh. Well, good for you then. Good for taking that first step."

He nodded. "I just…I just thought you should know."

"I'm glad you told me."

"I mean, we can still see each other on the weekends…holidays…if you have a day off or something-"

"Yeah. We'll make time. We always have."

They finished the dance and danced another in awkward silence. There wasn't much left to say, it seemed like. Finally, Tauriel steered them over to the side of the floor, where she curtsied to him and said "Thank you for the dance."

"It was my pleasure. Happy holidays, Tauriel."

"You too." As she watched him disappear into the crowd, her heart almost twisted painfully-or it would have, if she'd been romantically inclined in any way, shape, or form. As it was, she went to get a glass of extremely diluted wine. She'd never liked the real thing.

She met up with a few of her other friends from the Guard and they talked a little bit about their new post assignments for the New Year. Tauriel's number of patrols had almost doubled, which she supposed was a good thing-although it meant a lot more work for her. However, she didn't mind-she relished any chance to get into the forest and off the beaten paths. But after a while they found other partners or drifted away until she was alone again. Tauriel didn't think much of it. She'd always been that way during formal dances-as sad as it was, she preferred people watching to actually dancing. It didn't matter whether or not she was able to find a partner.

"Are you daydreaming?"

She (practically) jumped a foot in the air. Legolas had somehow appeared next to her. She didn't know how he'd been able to sneak up on her, but there he was.

"No. Shouldn't you be dancing?"

He shrugged, watching the dancers with interest. "Most likely. Shouldn't you?"

"Maybe. Have you danced with Raena yet?"

"She's too busy. I am having trouble getting even a word in edgewise, much less asking her for a dance."

"Go ask her. She's been looking forward to it all week."

"I will-after this song. After this song I'll find a way over to her-somehow."

Tauriel smirked. "Are you having a good time?"

"Of course. It has been wonderful to have the palace gates open. I would love to meet more of my subjects…if only Adar did not have the gates shut all the time."

Tauriel didn't envy him. She didn't think she'd be able to stand being shut inside the palace, while around her the forest was green and teeming with new life. "Maybe he will change."

"I doubt it. He hasn't been the same, not since Naneth died." He sighed and shook his head. "Enough. This is not a sad occasion. We should be celebrating." He extended a hand to her. "Would you care to dance?"

"Right now?"

"Well, why not?"

"I don't know. It just seems-"

"Sudden?" Legolas cocked his head just slightly, trying to find his place in the music. "The song has barely started yet. We have plenty of time."

Tauriel tried to put words to her thoughts. "Wouldn't you rather dance with-"

"Tauriel, I would like to dance with a friend."

She bit her lip and took his outstretched hand, hoping she wasn't shaking. _Oh, Raena; if only you could see me now._

The couples seemed to part before them and Tauriel could feel dozens of pairs of eyes boring into her back. However, that didn't matter as they started to dance and she was too busy worrying about where to put her feet.

Then she realized she didn't have to. Legolas led her through set after set, always keeping up with her and making sure they were on beat. He showed her where to set her feet and corrected her if she got confused, always moving ahead, ready to get her through the upcoming sequences of steps and turns. It was an altogether different experience than dancing with Riendel; Legolas was more graceful and polished. He didn't just dance once or twice a year; he was a true professional.

Tauriel was almost sad when the song ended and Legolas left her at the side of the dance floor with a "Thank you for this dance." She didn't move for a few minutes after that, watching him leave. He was so calm, so self-assured. It seemed that he never got nervous, never had problems. He was as in his element here as he was out in the forest, or in the training center before the rest of the world even though about starting the day. Of course, Tauriel knew better. Legolas had pressures anyone else could only dream of, burdens he constantly had to carry, and a father who was distant and sometimes demanding. He was just able to hide his worries better than most.

And she would be there for him, if she could.

He glanced back at her once or twice and waved, always making his way steadily to Raena. Finally, Tauriel saw them have a moment for themselves, saw Legolas ask, and then saw them take their places on the dance floor. They were both wonderful dancers, never putting a step wrong-as far as she could see. It almost felt strange watching them, like she was on the outside looking in. For as long as she could remember it had always been her, Legolas, and Raena. It never changed-until now, when nothing was the same anymore.

She danced with a few more people before the night was through and she had to meet Raena at the door. She was so tired she could fall asleep on her feet, worn out from dancing and polite conversation.

Finally, Raena came up to her almost glowing. "How was your night?" she asked as they waited for their cloaks.

"It was…nice." Tauriel wanted to tell her about her dance with Legolas, but she couldn't seem to find the words. Some things she wanted to keep private-at least for now. "How about you? How was your dance?"

Raena's eyes immediately seemed to glaze over. In different circumstances, if Tauriel hadn't been so tired, she might have laughed. "It was…amazing."

"Tell me about it. All about it. Every single little detail."

"Are you sure you won't be bored?"

"No, it's fine. I saw bits and pieces of it. It looked wonderful, just so you know."

"All right…" Raena started to talk and Tauriel tried to listen to her, but it was hard to focus. The very air of the great hall was starting to make her nod off and it was harder than ever for her to stay awake.

Finally, Amlis came back with their cloaks. "Have a good dance?" he asked.

Tauriel glanced at Raena, who still seemed to be glowing. "Yeah, I think we did." She knew she had, for one. It had been nice to see Riendel again, if nothing else.

And a few of her dances had felt…magical. Not just the one with Legolas, but a few others-most with members of the Guard she barely knew. And yet, why had she enjoyed those more than she'd enjoyed the ones with Riendel himself-the person who was supposed to be her boyfriend when the notion struck him?

_Listen to yourself, Tauriel. Thinking nonsense again. You must really be tired._

"Raena?"

"Yes?"

Tauriel cleared her throat, unwilling to say what she knew had to be said. They had almost reached the Guard building and she was about half awake. _Thank goodness we don't have training tomorrow. _"If I ever say that formals are boring…just say that I am wrong. Alright?"

Raena laughed. "As you wish. So, you had a good time?"

"Better than I thought I would have."

"Me too."

They went their separate ways. Tauriel knew that whatever would happen in the coming months, whatever disasters would occur, nothing would take away this night.

Nothing would take away the fact that, for just a few short hours, she'd realized what it felt like to be truly carefree.

And it wasn't exactly a bad feeling.

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	12. Aftermath

**Expect updates to be a week apart, give or take. They might become quicker once school ends. **

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The day after the Winter Formal, Tauriel didn't want to get up when she heard the eagles returning to their eyrie. She was so tired. She didn't want to have to deal with the effort it would take to go down to the kitchen, eat breakfast, go to daily training, and go on patrol-twice.

Just then, there was a loud knock on her door. "Tauriel? Ready for breakfast?" Amlis asked.

"No. Go away."

"Come on, Tauriel. Time to meet the day."

"Sorry. I don't really want to meet the day, although I appreciate the sentiment."

"If you get up now, I'll fill in on the evening patrol for you."

Tauriel considered the prospect. "You drive a hard bargain. Fine. I'm coming." She got up and got ready still feeling half asleep. In fact, she didn't feel truly awake until she was in the dining hall participating in the usual fight to the death over the last few apples.

"You all act like a bunch of wild animals." Raena yawned, watching the other members of the Guard with interest. Raena never fought over the last bits of fruit. She said it was against her moral conduct.

"You would be too, if you actually needed sustenance to keep you going throughout the day." Tauriel shot back, eating her hard-won fruit. "I think I stayed out a little too late last night."

"We all did." Raena rubbed her eyes, trying to clear the sleep from them. "It's madness having lessons today. Everyone went to the Formal-whether they were invited or not." The door guards had been especially lenient last night checking the guest list.

"That's not going to be the case next year." Maris interrupted knowingly from the other side of the table. "Didn't you hear? Someone ended up dead last night."

"What do you mean?"

"They think he just overdosed on wine-at least, that's what the palace is telling people."

"What do you think happened?" Tauriel asked.

"Well, his throat was slit. Not exactly your typical overdose, is it?"

"Murder is never typical." Merial cut in, buttering a roll. "You should have gotten here about twenty minutes ago. It was all they were talking about. Maelia says she'll be randomly pulling people out of their lessons so she can question them about what they saw last night."

Tauriel shivered. "Sounds serious."

"It really does-and that isn't even the worst of it. The Palace is in an uproar-the King might cancel the next Winter Formal."

"He wouldn't."

"It would not be a popular decision, but you know what he would say."

"It's 'for the good of the kingdom'."

"Exactly." Merial checked the time and swore under her breath. "We're already late."

Tauriel followed her to the door and scraped the last of her breakfast onto a compost heap outside the window. Her mind was spinning. How had someone been murdered the night before? She hadn't seen anything-or anyone-out of the ordinary. She hoped the Winter Formal wouldn't be cancelled. Everyone looked forward to it. It was the one time a year King Thranduil really connected with his subjects instead of spending his days isolated in his throne room. He couldn't cancel it. He just couldn't.

Tauriel sighed and grabbed another slip of paper from the pile in the center of the table. This one read _Your patrol had a run in with a pack of orcs and one of your best daggermen was wounded. _She hated writing patrol write-ups, but everyone was required to do so at some time or another.

She tried to imagine what it would be like to even have a run in with orcs in the first place, much less have one of your patrol members murdered because of it. Spider attacks were growing more and more common-but orc attacks were still the things of bedtime stories.

"Having fun?"

She looked up in surprise. Maelia had somehow snuck up behind her and was looking over her shoulder at the blank sheet of paper in front of her. "It doesn't look like you've gotten very far." she added.

"I apologize. I just am having a very hard time focusing…" Tauriel tried to stifle a yawn and focused on the piece of paper in front of her. The words were swimming before her eyes.

"It's fine. Things are always like that the morning after Winter Formal-even when I was an elfling. How about we go back to my office and I'll ask you a few questions about last night instead-not any tough questions, but a few general ones to see if you saw anything out of the ordinary. I guarantee you'll have more fun than you'll have here."

She didn't need to tell her twice. "Sure. Sounds fine." Tauriel said, standing up as quickly as she could without knocking anything over.

Amlis looked up from the other side of the table but didn't say anything. Instead, he gave her a thumbs up.

Maelia's office was about as peaceful and tranquil as Tauriel had imagined it would be. Candles burned low on the walls, throwing soft pools of light onto the ceiling and floor. The walls were painted a soft blue; there was even a small drawing on one side of the room of two young elleths, laughing together as they braided each other's hair on the banks of a cool blue river.

"Who's in that picture?" Tauriel asked, examining it carefully.

"That's me." Maelia pointed to one of the elflings, who was wearing a soft pink dress and looking intensely focused on her task. "I drew this when I was very young-even younger than you are now."

"You were an amazing artist."

"Thank you. After the death of my parents…well, everyone grieves a little bit differently. I devoted myself, heart and soul, to my art. Ultimately, it never came to any fruition but it helped me cope during those first few terrible months. That was when I met Elaina, the young girl who would someday become the king's wife. But for then we were both of the same rank and class-and we had lots and lots of fun together." Maelia traced a finger around the edge of the frame and sighed. "Nothing good can stay. Nothing lasts forever. Anyway, that's not why we're here. We're here so I can ask you a few questions." She settled into a seat behind a paneled wooden desk and pulled out a clipboard. "So, while you were at the Winter Formal did you see anything suspicious?"

"Suspicious how?"

"Strange elves, people you didn't recognize."

"Not really. Then again…I guess I was not really paying attention. I didn't see anybody who looked like they didn't belong."

Maelia sighed and wrote down her answer on the clipboard. "In a way, that is even less reassuring than if we had found an intruder. This means that-"

"It could have been anyone." Tauriel whispered. "Even someone inside the Guard."

Maelia looked away. "It feels like it did years ago, before the Battle of Gundabad, where you couldn't trust anyone-not even those closest to you. Tauriel, did you stay where you were supposed to last night. You didn't just wander the palace freely, did you?"

"No, of course not."

"Are you sure?"

"I would not lie about something. Not something this important."

"I know-and I trust you. Very well then. I think I have everything I need. She stood up, shoving her papers into the drawer of her desk. "You're free to go, Tauriel. If you remember anything else, please do not hesitate to tell me."

"I won't. Thank you, Maelia."

"Think nothing of it." She gave her a small smile and went back to skimming another piece of paper.

Tauriel quietly let herself out. It seemed that every time she talked to Maelia she gained more questions rather than answers.

The next morning, Tauriel had a wicked headache-one so bad she could barely get out of bed. She practically stumbled to the breakfast table, feeling as though dwarves were mining for gold inside of her skull-swinging their axes and rattling bone, over and over until she could barely think straight.

"You look terrible." Merial said bluntly after Tauriel didn't take part in the morning brawl.

"I really don't feel well. My head feels like it's on fire."

"Maybe you should lie down. I can tell Brignir you won't be at Guard practice."

"Thank you. That would be…very helpful."

"Feel better."

"I will."

It felt strange to Tauriel to be lying down in the middle of a work day-a normal day when she should have been at Guard practice. The Guard building seemed to be very quiet while everyone was out at their other jobs. No one was congregating in the hallways, no one was outside the kitchen waiting for the doors to open.

She made herself a cup of tea and crushed up a few herbs that the healer said was supposed to cure her headache. It was healing, but it was taking a very, very long time. Then she pulled out one of the books Raena insisted she read and tried to get a few chapters done. However, it was no use. Her mind wouldn't relax; not when it was filled with questions.

Namely, what had really happened at the Winter Formal-and why hadn't she realized what was going on sooner?

She wondered if Legolas would be going on the morning patrol-and if so whether or not she could wait for him to show up. Eventually, she decided to walk down to the place where patrols started from to see if she could find him. Her head ached a lot less, but it had stopped shooting pain through her skull with every step she took.

Outside, the day was sunny and cold. Snow hadn't fallen in days, so what snow there was on the ground had developed a shiny white sheen. She passed the numerous Guard buildings, most of which would be empty at this time of day, until she reached the briefing room where patrols were supposed to suit up and plan their routes. It was still early; she didn't expect anyone to have arrived yet.

"Tauriel? What are you doing out here at this time of day?" Maris asked, coming around the corner of the building carrying five filled water skins. "Are you coming on patrol?"

"No-I'm just looking for someone. Mind if I stay around for a little bit?"

"Sure. That's fine. Just don't be in the way."

She rolled her eyes. "Of course not."

She waited as he went back and forth collecting supplies. After a while, two other Guard members a few years older than her arrived. She didn't know them personally, although she'd seen them around at meals and other social events. They exchanged pleasantries and went back to their work. Over the course of the next twenty minutes, three more elves arrived-an elf from another Guard building, Dracan, and Amlis. As always, Dracan talked only to give orders and brooded silently for the rest of the time. But Legolas didn't arrive.

Amlis smiled at her and came over once they had made most of the necessary preparations. "Hello Tauriel. What brings you here?"

Tauriel shrugged. "Bored, I guess. Is Legolas signed up for this patrol?"

"I think so, but he has not arrived yet. Of course, this is not particularly surprising. I imagine the palace is almost on lockdown after the Formal. He may have a hard time getting out. He should be here before we set off, though."

They waited for what seemed like a very long time, although Tauriel knew it was only about a half hour. Finally, Dracan sighed. "We are late as it is. We must leave."

"Give him a chance to get here." Maris said.

"He has had his chance. We have to move on if we are to stay on schedule." He started to walk toward the forest, shouldering his pack of supplies.

Just then, someone stepped out of the tree line. "Were you going to leave without me?"

"Speak of the devil." Dracan muttered.

Legolas shouldered his bag easily. "Well, should we go? We're already almost late." They began to move off, heading toward the route they would take through the wood.

"Wait. Legolas, can I talk to you? Just for a minute?" Tauriel spoke up.

"As you wish." Legolas broke off from the rest of the group and walked back. "What is it?"

"What happened at the Formal? Was someone really murdered?"

"Yes, he was. Murdered in cold blood. The Guard is still looking for a motive, but of course no one can figure out what that might be. This elf had no enemies. Everyone liked and respected him. He didn't have any dark secrets. It doesn't seem that anyone would have reason to slit his throat."

"So they don't have any clues?"

He shook his head. "Well, there is one thing. He also was a member of the Elite Guard."

Tauriel stiffened. The Elite Guard was the best of the best-the twenty five best Guard members in the entire forest. They were devoted solely to protecting the royal family from harm-which included door duty at night. If a member of the Elite had been killed, the knife could have been intended for one of the royals. "Is that why the palace is on lockdown?"

"Yes. I had to talk my way past four different guards. Everyone is…worried."

"Something's going on. Something bigger than just one or two spider attacks or one or two murders."

Legolas nodded slowly. "I know. I have felt it. Something big is coming-and we should best prepare ourselves for when it does."

Tauriel's head was starting to hurt. The pieces weren't adding up-and she was had a lot more questions than answers.

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	13. A Walk in the Woods

**And I'm back!**

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The first couple weeks of the New Year passed in a whirlwind of snow and a sleety rain that made everyone want to stay inside and out of the cold. Tauriel was tired of passing the time playing board game after board game with whoever she could find and she itched to get training again. Unfortunately, inclement weather dampened her spirits.

"I win." Amlis said simply as he won his fourth straight game of chess.

Tauriel sighed. "Don't you want to do something else?"

"Of course not. I'm actually winning for a change."

She rolled her eyes as she set the board for game five. "Fine. One more game." She didn't know how much more chess she could take before she started tearing her hair out.

"Training might begin again tomorrow."

"Thank goodness."

Amlis watched her curiously. "You sound extremely relieved."

"Of course I'm relieved! I have a hard time sitting idly by when I could be training-when I could be protecting the realm."

"You know it's all right to have a little fun once in a while, right?"

"I have fun when I'm training."

"You know, a game of chess every once in a while isn't exactly a distraction-"

"It could be. What if another village is ravaged by orcs while we sit here, cooped up in the Guard building just because of a little bad weather? What if there was something I could have done? I'll rest when the forest is safe. Until then, I'm on the clock. We're all on the clock, Amlis." She stood up and pushed in her chair, resolving to go to the library and find a few books to pass the hours. "I've had enough chess. Go play by yourself."

As it turned out, Amlis wasn't lying. That night, everyone in the Guard got a letter telling them to report for duty bright and early the next morning-just like normal.

Tauriel had trouble relaxing that night. She couldn't wait to get back to training. She'd been practicing wherever she could-in deserted corners and tucked away storage rooms. She had made good progress with her bo staff in a broom closet near the kitchen the previous night until she'd been found by a very disgruntled maid who was looking for a bottle of cleaning solution. Now she tended to stay away from closets, but she still practiced in her room at night-when most other elves were resting.

Eventually, she gave sleep up as a lost cause and pulled out her staff. She had gotten a new one as a Manwe's Day present from Maris and she still had to get used to it. It was a little big for her and she often had to overcompensate for its bulk. However, it was of a much higher quality than her training bow-made from the leaves of a yew tree that had been polished until they shone. She was sure that with just a little more work she would soon master it.

She pretended she was fighting an invisible orc pack-a slash here, a parry there, followed by a perfectly executed duck. Soon, she forgot where she was and what she was really doing-at which point she forgot how small her room really was.

An amber lamp fell to the ground with a loud clatter, spilling tiny granules in every direction. Tauriel swore and began to pick them up again, hoping no one else had heard the commotion. The Guard didn't have a curfew, but it might as well. The night sentries got very upset if they had to investigate noises in the early morning hours when all they wanted to do was play cards.

She waited for one tense heartbeat, then two. No one came. Finally, she thought she was in the clear and carefully through away the remains of the lamp. She'd have to ask for a new one the next day.

It was only without the reassuring light of the lamp on her dresser that Tauriel realized just how dark her room could really get. Shadows seemed to dance on the walls-shadows that had no business being in her room. She tossed and turned, willing herself to get tired. She had never been one to be afraid of the dark; she wasn't scared, not exactly. Orcs just moved more easily in the nighttime-and it was less easy for her to be prepared.

It was a long time before she fell into an uneasy sleep.

Tauriel woke up the next morning feeling as if she hadn't slept at all. She barely managed to stumble through breakfast-although she went to Guard practice anyway. How could she miss it?

Answer: she couldn't.

All too soon, she heard Raena's loud knock on her bedroom door. "Tauriel? Are you ready to go?"

"Give me a minute…" She picked up her knives and twirled them experimentally. They were in working order; she was ready to go.

"Brignir won't wait forever."

"I know, I know…" She joined her friend in the hall. "Let's get going." Brignir had been known to put elves on kitchen duty if they were late to their daily training lesson. Tauriel had no wish to spend an afternoon in the kitchens doing nothing but baking bread and washing dishes. It wasn't her idea of a fun time.

As it turned out, they were some of the last people to arrive in the training center, but they weren't technically late. However, Brignir wasn't there like he usually was, taking the elves through practice drills and series of stretches until everyone was ready and warmed up.

Raena got the attention of one of her friends, Lyera, who had joined them outside. "Do you know where Brignir is?"

Lyera shrugged. "I'm sure he will be here soon."

"It's not like him to be late."

"It could be because of the weather." Tauriel replied. She was only half joking.

Just then the door to the training center opened again and everyone turned to chastise the new arrivals. However, no one said anything when their visitor turned out to be Legolas. Princes were able to do what they wanted to do when they wanted to do it-it was almost an unspoken rule in the kingdom.

"Good morning, everyone." Legolas said formally. "Brignir ate something last night that disagreed with him, so he will not be instructing you today."

There was a collective mutter of disappointment from the other members of the group. "Then who is?" asked a Year Five Tauriel didn't recognize."

"That would be me."

Instantly, the muttering ceased. This was almost unheard of. Of course, Legolas wasn't a stranger to Guard practices-he came almost every week if his schedule allowed it-but he was always treated as a student. Brignir always gave him advice and he was given the same drills as the other Guard members. Never once had he taken over the class or even been an assistant.

"It's just for today." he continued, selecting a dagger from a wall of extras on one side of the room. "My father thinks I should get used to teaching others. So, what would all of you like to do?"

The whispers broke out again. Tauriel wondered if she'd heard him right. Legolas was going to let them decide what they did?

"It would be best for you to decide quickly. As you might have noticed, we don't have all day. We could drill weapons, go for a hike…" the prince continued almost uncertainly.

Tauriel decided to take pity on him. "Maybe you could show us how to throw a dagger in a three-sixty and catch it again." It was one of his favorite moves to show off on the rare occasions when he participated in various tournaments across Middle Earth. She'd been admiring it for ages, but had never quite mastered the practicalities of it.

Legolas smiled at him gratefully. "Excellent idea, Tauriel. So, we start by holding the dagger like this…" He demonstrated a very simple hold on his knife and adjusted the grips of other elves as necessary. Once he was sure everyone had the basics, he threw it up with a flick of his wrist. The dagger spun once, twice, three times before it came down to land again and Legolas caught it easily. "Your turn."

This was probably not the best thing to say. Of course, none of the elves were able to throw at the right angle; a few were extremely lucky they didn't get decapitated.

"All right, good attempts everyone. Now, let's see if we can simplify this a bit…." He broke the move down into three distinct parts: throw, catch, and recovery. He explained each step carefully, answered questions knowledgeably, and never got angry if there were elves having trouble. Within the hour, everyone had mastered the trick.

"Very good." he said appreciatively after Lyera demonstrated her perfect throw for the rest of the class. "It seems like you all have it." Just then he happened to glance at the sundial in one corner of the room. "Are we out of time already?"

Tauriel followed his line of sight. Indeed, the class had gone overtime.

"I'm sure we can stay a few more minutes." Amlis said quickly. A few other elves nodded.

"I wouldn't want to keep you from any important jobs. Thank you for allowing me to teach you today."

"You should teach us every week." another elf replied. "Give Brignir a rest." Everyone laughed.

"Would that I could." Legolas replied. "I enjoyed myself immensely."

Tauriel had to smile. She'd had a good time as well.

A messenger caught up with Raena and Tauriel as they were leaving for patrol duty. "Brignir wishes to see you for a private lesson." he said to Raena bluntly.

Tauriel was impressed. Brignir was a busy elf. He didn't have time for private lessons. Then again, this day had been so out of the ordinary that nothing really surprised her anymore.

Raena looked about as surprised as Tauriel felt. "Oh. When should I meet him?"

"Immediately."

"Very well." She waved to Tauriel as she walked off. "See you at the evening meal."

"Enjoy yourself." Tauriel replied. She had decided to go for a walk before the night's patrol, especially because she knew there was a good chance she'd be alone. Most elves preferred to be inside, away from the cold and darkness. Not her though. Sometimes, being out in the woods made her feel closer to her family-the parents she loved dearly but barely remembered.

It was a bitterly cold day. Wind whistled through the forest trees, making a hollow whistling sound as it blew over banks of snow. A few birds sang nervously, but mostly the afternoon was silent. It was almost as if the cold had drained all the life out of the place. Tauriel shivered in spite of herself. The forest was filled with the ghosts of long dead elves-and their presence was never felt more than on days like these. She stayed close to the beaten path-it was easy to imagine fell things lurking in the undergrowth.

"Mind if I walk with you?"

She looked up to see Legolas catching up with her and automatically made room for him to walk next to her. "Of course. You did very well at Guard practice this morning. I'm sure everyone had a wonderful time."

"Thank you. So, why are you out by yourself on a day like today? Shouldn't you be inside, like the rest of the Guard?"

"What, and miss out on an opportunity to be outside on a beautiful day like today? I don't think so. Do you have anything you're supposed to be doing at the palace?"

"No. Of course, Adar would probably force me to meet with the Rivendell delegation who just made the journey to see us."  
"In this weather? They must have had a very hard time."

"Oh, they did. Their horses were half frozen when we got them inside the palace stables-but they seem to be doing all right now."

"I hope so. So, have there been any more spider sightings?"

"Not for a few months. A few of my father's advisors are saying that it's too cold for them."

"All the better for us."

A particularly cold wind blew through the trees, shaking the snow off their branches. A raven flew past, angling into the forest canopy. It was buffeted by the cold wind, but it seemed to be holding its own reasonably well. "It's amazing how resilient some animals are." Legolas said, watching it fly. "No matter what happens, you can't seem to get rid of them."

"I suppose so." Tauriel could see it went two ways: there were animals like ravens, who could easily be used as messengers to and from the other kingdoms of Middle Earth. Then there were creatures like spiders, who just kept coming no matter how many times you tried to put them down.

They wandered the deserted pathways of the forest for a long time, walking the trails of a barren land held tightly in the clutch of winter. Tauriel was still looking forward to spring, when the forest would thaw and melt, but she had to admit that winter wasn't all that bad. It was easy to hide inside, away from the world.

It was easy to pretend nothing bad was happening. It was easy to pretend nothing was happening at all, good, bad, or otherwise. Sometimes, Tauriel wondered if that would really be such a bad thing.

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